Can Monmouth basketball emerge as CAA contender? Hawks battle first-place Towson Saturday

Posted by author February 8, 2025 Basketball

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WEST LONG BRANCH – It was hard to imagine really important games as Monmouth’s brutally tough non-conference schedule was playing out, followed by some inconsistent efforts when CAA play opened.

But with the Hawks having won three straight games to climb above the .500 mark in league play, Saturday’s visit from first place Towson certainly qualifies as a big moment at OceanFirst Bank Center (4 p.m.; CBS Sports Network), where they’ve won 19 of their last 20.

So while there’s still one major issue to solve – they’re 4-25 in road games over the past two seasons, including 2-12 in CAA play – beating the Tigers, the preseason favorites, would be the strongest indicator yet that the Hawks could be a threat when the calendar turns to March.

For Monmouth (8-16, 6-5 CAA), it’s the end of a four-game homestand before entering a six-game regular season-ending stretch that includes four road tests.

Towson (15-9, 10-1 CAA) has won nine straight games, with 6-9 Tyler Tejada, last season’s CAA Rookie of the Year, averaging 16.5 ppg. and 4.3 rebounds, providing a tough test for a rejuvenated Monmouth frontcourt. Junior center Dok Muordar did a good job against Charleston’s Ante Brzovic, holding the Preseason CAA Player of the Year to 11 points and five boards in a Monmouth win.

Dylan Williamson is averaging 13.8 pg. and leads the team in assists.

Here are three keys for Monmouth today against Towson. Check back later Saturday for complete coverage:

1. Put the ball in Madison Durr’s hands

Junior point guard Madison Durr’s physicality has made him a tough matchup for CAA guards. The 6-5 junior’s overall numbers are good, averaging 13.2 ppg., to go with 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio in 31.3 minutes on average.

But Durr has increasingly been able to impose his will. Throw out the first two CAA games and he’s averaging 18.8 ppg. in league play, while hitting for 28.8 ppg. over the last three games. His 40-point outburst against Drexel helped secure two different national Player of the Week awards.

He’s done a nice job getting everyone involved, and then taking the game over late.

2. Keep one-two punch going

If Durr and 6-7 sophomore Abdi Bashir Jr., who leads the CAA at 21.2 ppg., are combining for between 45 and 50 points, Monmouth will be very tough to beat.

With Durr’s emergence a dangerous offensive threat, teams can no longer simply tailor their defenses to stopping Bashir. The two combined to score 124 points over the first two games of the homestand. And even in a grind-it-out game like the one against Hampton, there was enough scoring to get the job done even with Bashir scoring only 11 points.

Towson is the No. 1 defense in the league, giving up just 65 ppg. Monmouth needs to push the pace from the start to try to push the game into the 70s or higher.

3. Dig in on defense

Monnmouth has played a lot better defensively of late, although they still rank near the bottom of the league. And even though they gave up a ton of points in a pair of high scoring games last week, they made some big stops late when they needed them. Against Hampton, it was a pair of late steals by Jack Collins and Bashir that helped hold the Pirates off.

Not getting in foul trouble early will be critical. Monmouth has a nice nine or 10-man rotation right now, with everyone committed to their roles, at both ends of the floor.