ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany men's basketball season begins at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday night at SEFCU Arena when the team hosts Towson for the season opener. The event will mark the first-time fans are welcomed back to SEFCU Arena since the end of the 2019-20 season. Tuesday's game will be streamed live on ESPN3 and broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team
 
Game Info
Tuesday, Nov. 9 – vs Towson
SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y.
7:00 p.m. EST
Tickets | ESPN3 | ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Fan Program
 
FREE with your ID
UAlbany students are welcome to SEFCU Arena and get in FREE with their student ID! Coach Dwayne Killings and the entire hoops team encourage the UAlbany student body to come out and support the Great Danes all season long.
 
Head Coach Dwayne Killings on the 2021-22 Season Opener
"What a tremendous moment for our program to finally compete in front of our community of fans at SEFCU arena. I have so much respect for Coach Skerry and his program, as they have routinely been one of the toughest defensive teams in the CAA. It will be great to finally play some basketball in front of an electric SEFCU arena." – Head Coach Dwayne Killings
 
Scouting Towson
Towson entered last year's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament as the No. 9 seed, falling in the first round to No. 8 seeded Elon 48-69. Zane Martin led the Tigers in scoring a year ago, starting in 15 games and averaging 16.5 points per contest. He was followed by Nicolas Timberlake (12.1 ppg) and Jason Gibson (9.6 ppg). The best defender on the court for the Tigers was Charles Thompson, who racked up 28 blocks and 17 steals throughout the year to lead the team in both statistical categories. Of Towson's main seven starters from a year ago, three return this season – Timberlake, Gibson, and Thompson. Gone from the team is Martin, Solomon Uyaelunmo, Demetrius Mims, and Victor Uyaelunmo. New to the team this year are transfers Terry Nolan Jr., Antonio Rizzuto, Cam Holden, and Chase Paar, and freshman Tyler Gill, Tyler Coleman, and Rahdir Hicks.
 
First Time Against Towson
Tuesday will be the first time the Great Danes and Tigers ever play each other, but it doesn't mean there isn't some familiarity between the two teams. Towson's Antonio Rizzuto was a key player in the Great Danes' starting lineup the past three years. Last season, he was named to both the America East All-Defensive Team and All-Conference Second Team. He averaged 12.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 16 games during the 2020-21 season for UAlbany.
 
Hear From the Great Danes
"We're excited to finally be in front of the fans at SEFCU Arena. It's been a long offseason. Towson is a good program that takes pride in their toughness, can't wait to go to war and compete with my guys!" - #2 De'Vondre Perry
 
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
It was recently announced that UAlbany had expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill. Coaches Dwayne Killings and Colleen Mullen, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'. 
 
Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Killings, Coach Mullen, student-athletes and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday. 
 
Meet Coach Killings
Dwayne Killings, a native of Amherst, Mass., begins his journey as Head Coach of the Great Danes after previously serving at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons. While at Marquette, Killings served under Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings' three years in Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.
 
Roster Changes
The coaching staff isn't the only thing that's new for the Great Danes. The roster has had a complete transformation from last year's squad, which made it to the America East Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Nine new student-athletes are suiting up in the purple and gold for 2021-22 - De'Vondre Perry, Matt Cerruti, Gerald Drumgoole Jr., Paul Newman, Ny'Mire Little, Justin Neely, Aaron Reddish, Luke Fizulich, and Tairi Ketner. Returning for UAlbany is Will Amica, Trey Hutcheson, Jarvis Doles, Jamel Horton, Sam Shafer, and Chuck Champion.
 
Along with the coaching staff, these 22 men officially make up the 2021-22 UAlbany Great Danes. In total, 16 of these individuals are new to UAlbany.
 
Coaches' Poll
A completely new team, the Great Danes were picked to finish seventh in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 34 points. Stony Brook came in atop the list with 77 points and five first-place votes, just ahead of Vermont with 74 points and four first-place votes. New Hampshire rounded out the top three with 64 points and a single first-place vote.
 
Defending champion Hartford placed fourth with 56 points, UMBC placed fifth with 49 points, and UMass Lowell placed sixth with 43 points. Following the Great Danes' seventh-place spot was NJIT (23 points), Maine (16 points) and Binghamton (14 points).
 
Non-Conference Opponents
The Great Danes are scheduled to play13 non-conference games this year, four of them being at SEFCU Arena. After starting the season hosting Towson (Nov. 9), the team heads to La Salle to take on the Explorers on Nov. 13. The Great Danes then return home on Nov. 17 to host Harvard before playing their next five on the road.
 
The road trip starts off with a visit to the state of Kentucky. The Great Danes will take part in the Eastern Kentucky Invitational, playing Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 20) and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 24) in Richmond. In between those two games, the team will travel down the road to Lexington to matchup against John Calipari and the powerhouse Kentucky basketball program. That marquee matchup is scheduled for Nov. 22 at Kentucky's Rupp Arena. The road trip concludes with stops at Kansas State (Dec. 1) and Yale (Dec. 7).
 
UAlbany then hosts Columbia (Dec. 11) before traveling to Boston College (Dec. 13), Niagara (Dec. 18), and Lehigh (Dec. 21). Non-conference action wraps up on Dec. 29 with the Great Danes hosting Bucknell.
 
America East Lineup
Conference action kicks off after the new year with the great Danes traveling to face Vermont on Jan. 2. The team plays their first America East game at home that same week with a matchup against Binghamton slated for Jan. 6. Other home conference matchups include UMass Lowell (Jan. 12), NJIT (Jan. 15), Stony Brook (Jan. 22), UMBC (Feb. 2), Maine (Feb. 9), Vermont (Feb. 12), New Hampshire (Feb. 19), and Hartford (Mar. 1).
 
Secure Your Tickets
This year marks a new chapter in history for the Great Danes, don't miss out! Season tickets for UAlbany basketball can be purchased by calling the UAlbany Ticket Office at (518) 442-DANE or by visiting UAlbanySports.com/Tickets.
 
Social Central
Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on Twitter (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the season.