Friday, March 7th, 12:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Richmond Coliseum (11,200) -- Richmond, Virginia. Television: None. Home Record: Towson 11-4, Hofstra 8-5. Away Record: Towson 1-13, Hofstra 4-10. Neutral Record: Towson 0-0, Hofstra 0-2. Conference Record: Towson 7-11, Hofstra 8-10. Series Record: Hofstra leads, 29-18.

GAME NOTES: The 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament kicks off today, with the ninth-seeded Towson Tigers challenging the eighth-seeded Hofstra Pride in the first round at Richmond Coliseum. The winner of this game will move on to face top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Tigers won three of their last five games during the regular season and with that run finished ninth in the league standings at 7-11. Towson hasn't had much success in this tournament, going just 2-6 all-time. As for Hofstra, it won four of its final five outings to snare the eighth seed with an 8-10 league mark. The Pride has gone an even 6-6 all-time in this tourney, reaching the finals in 2006. Hofstra and Towson split a pair of meetings during the regular season, leaving the Pride with a 29-18 advantage in the head-to-head series.

The Tigers are giving up more points (69.3 ppg) than they are scoring (65.5 ppg) and that is usually a recipe for a losing record. On a positive note, Towson has done a respectable job avoiding mistakes, committing just 11.6 turnovers per game. The team is paced by Josh Thornton, who is averaging 12.8 ppg on the strength of 43.7 percent shooting from long distance. Junior Hairston nips at his heels with 12.4 ppg and his 9.1 rpg average not only leads the team, but also ranks third in the conference. C.C. Williams chips in with 8.7 ppg for the Tigers and he has been in charge of setting up his teammates, handing out a squad-best 4.9 apg.

Much like Towson, Hofstra is being outscored on the season, as it is netting 66.3 ppg compared to the 68.8 ppg poured in by opposing clubs. The problem for the Pride has been its inability to hang on to the ball, turning it over 16.3 times per game. The club, though, has one of the top players in the conference on the roster in the form of Antoine Agudio, who leads the CAA in scoring with his 22.5 ppg. Agudio has done a lot of his damage from beyond the arc, where he is shooting 40.7 percent for the season. Charles Jenkins joins Agudio to form a solid duo, as he turns in 15.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Jenkins is also a tenacious defender, racking up a team-best 49 steals.

Behind the efforts of Agudio, expect the Pride to take the first step and defeat Towson in what it hopes to be a long postseason run.

Predicted Outcome

Hofstra 69, Towson 61