Troy University Athletics
Trojans Preparing Strategy for MTSU
3/8/2008 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
Troy University basketball coach Don Maestri is back at work today in his secret laboratory, deep in the bowels of Trojan Arena.
The veteran Troy coach is working on a new concoction, one to solve the problems that his club will face Sunday afternoon when it takes on Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Mitchell Center in Mobile. Tournament tickets, as well as individual game tickets are available through the Troy Athletics Ticket Office.
“We are trying to find something, anything, that might be a chink in their armor,” Maestri said of the Blue Raiders. “They are playing outstanding basketball. They are disciplined and they defend very well.”
The Trojans (12-18) know very well the kind of team Middle Tennessee will bring to the floor. The fourth-seeded Blue Raiders (15-14) handed the Trojans an 81-58 loss in the final game of the regular season.
“We just played them and they beat us in every imaginable phase of the game, but we are trying to figure something out that will give us a chance,” Maestri said.
While the deck might appear stacked against the Trojans in the third meeting this year between the teams, there are some rays of hope. First is the fact that Troy is coming off a stunning road win over No. 5 seed Louisiana-Lafayette Wednesday night at the Cajun Dome.
ULL had easily handled Troy 87-66 in the only meeting during the season, but the Trojans turned the tables on the Cajuns when it mattered most by changing their personality and style of play.
“I don't think we could play that style against Middle Tennessee and be as successful,” Maestri said. “First, they have tape of the game and would b prepared for it. We will play a much more conventional style of game.”
History says the Trojans have a chance at the upset as well. No team has beaten the Trojans three times in the same season since the 1996-97 season when Youngstown State pulled the trick. Last year, the shoe was on the other foot, with Troy having downed MTSU twice during the regular season, but the Blue Raiders pulled off the upset in the tournament, ending the Trojans' season.
“Last year was much different,” Maestri said. “We were coming off a big win over South Alabama and weren't afraid because we had beaten them twice. This year, we have had so many frustrating losses that it is tough to see the big picture.”
The biggest hurdle for the Trojans in the Sun Belt Tournament is the competition. Troy manages just one win in 12 games against the seven other teams going to Mobile. The average margin of defeat in those 11 games was 12.5, but that number is distorted by three games. Throw those out, and the average margin drops to six points.
“Even though our record was not very good, we were in a lot of games right up until the final minute,” Maestri said. “But, when someone beats you as bad as they did last week, you can't worry about anything but the next game.”
