We’ve already had some great CBB Super Tuesday slates so far this college basketball season, but tonight isn’t one of them. There is one game that is catching my eye tonight, though, as a little school from Baltimore heads out to Lawrence, Kansas for their toughest matchup of the season. Will the Towson Tigers be able to hang with the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, one of college basketball’s most legendary venues. 

Don’t let this Towson Tigers team get hot! It might be too late, as Pat Skerry is off to one of the better starts of his long career as the head coach of Towson. They are 6-4 with wins against solid mid-majors like Norfolk State and Liberty and some hard-fought losses to solid teams like Houston, UCSD, UCF and James Madison. Towson showed they can hang around with anyone when they kept that Houston game close for the majority of it. 

It wouldn’t be that crazy to say that the Tigers have the best player in this game on their team. That probably wouldn’t be the case if Darryn Peterson was healthy and playing for the Jayhawks, but Tyler Tejada is a 6’9 guard who’s averaging close to 20 PPG and a legitimate potential NBA player. He’s been impressive so far this season, and will be a major reason why Towson will keep this game weirdly close against Kansas tonight. His defense and 94% free throw percentage are underrated assets of his game, which will be on full display tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.

Have you seen what’s happened to this spread today? It’s moved from +18.5 to +15.5, and the public certainly isn’t hammering Towson in this spot. They are getting less than 20% of bets and handle on their moneyline and spread (per VSIN). Why is this mid-major from the CAA catching this much steam on the road, in one of the hardest places to play in the country, against a ranked team? Towson sitting at +15.5 is one of the nastiest-looking CBB plays of the week, and after following this team all season, I’m confident they can keep it within the number.

I watched this Towson team play in Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando earlier this year. They lost in the Championship against UCSD, a really good mid-major that shot 16/25 (64%) from three. Towson couldn't defend the deep ball, and they were down 50-31 at halftime. They clawed back in the game and actually won the second half 42-37, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the comeback. They did show an immense amount of heart, which gives me hope when backing them tonight against a superior Kansas team. The best part about this matchup: Towson relies on their physical defense, but they don’t defend the three point arc very well. That’s their biggest weakness. Luckily for the Tigers, Kansas ranks 145th in the country in three-point percentage. Towson’s defensive flaw shouldn’t hurt them too much tonight. 

Both of these teams run at a snail’s pace, ranking in the 300’s in pace. This is huge for Towson, I would be more concerned if they were playing a fast paced team that would speed them up and take them out of their comfort zone. Towson and Kansas run at around the same pace. Don’t expect the Jayhawks to speed this game up at all. 

I did not think we’d see the spread move three points towards Towson today, but here we are. Seeing them at only +15.5 against a ranked Kansas team on the road is one of the sharpest-looking spreads of the week. Lock in Tyler Tejada and the Towson Tigers on Tuesday night; they keep this game within 10 or so points when the public least expects it. If you haven’t seen Tyler Tejada hoop yet this season, check him out tonight on ESPN2.