GAME NOTES: The Towson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide will tip off the 2014-15 season at Coleman Coliseum on Friday night as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

Towson was one of the Colonial Athletic Association's best a season ago, going 25-11 overall (a program record for wins) while finishing second in the league at 13-3. The Tigers' impressive campaign earned them a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, where they won a pair of games over USC Upstate (63-60) and East Tennessee State (83-77) before losing the quarterfinals to Murray State (85-73).

The Crimson Tide are fresh off their worst season in more than a decade. After registering 13 consecutive winning campaigns (including eight with 20 or more wins), they fell flat in 2013-14 by going a mere 13-19 overall and 7-11 in league play, missing the postseason for the first time since Anthony Grant's first season as head coach in 2009-10.

This marks the first-ever meeting between the programs on the hardwood.

The Tigers are expected to take a step backwards this season after losing three starters, most notably Jerrelle Benimon (18.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg), who was named CAA Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons. Returning from last year's squad are Four McGlynn (10.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Timajh Parker- Rivera (6.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 44 blocks), while the rest of the roster is filled with inexperienced unknowns.

Alabama only had one player, Trevor Releford (18.5 ppg), average in double figures last season, and his departure has left a big hole in the backcourt. The good news for the squad is that it returns plenty of depth with four starters back. Levi Randolph (9.6 ppg), Retin Obasohan (9.5 ppg) and Rodney Cooper (7.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) anchor the guard-heavy group, while Shannon Hale (8.8 ppg) is solid in the frontcourt. The Tide has reinforcements on the way to try and secure an improved season. Ricky Tarrant (15.7 ppg, 3.6 in 2012-13) sat out last season after transferring from Tulane and has regained eligibility. Justin Coleman (5-10, 160) and Riley Norris (6-7, 207) highlight a promising freshman class.

The Tide not only hold the homecourt advantage but have a much more talented roster than Towson, meaning a 1-0 start to the season should be in the cards.