Troy University Athletics
Troy Men Play Televised Game at ULM
1/16/2009 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
MONROE, La. ? Less than 48 hours after a big win over South Alabama, the Troy Trojans take the floor to face ULM on Saturday at 3pm at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Sun Belt action.
The game will be televised on CSS/CTV along with ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.
Troy shot more than 50 percent from beyond the arc while hitting 16 treys to building a big first half lead against the Jaguars. With the big conference victory now in the past, Troy head coach Don Maestri has the tough task of preparing his team for a very physical ULM team.
“I think one we have to be prepared for a tough, hard-fought game. This game is not going to be as easy as the last game. Against South Alabama just about everything that could have gone our way, went our way. This game against ULM is not going to be an easy game,” Coach Maestri said.
“We are going to have to be prepared to fight through adversity, because we did not have to do much of that on Thursday night. We have got to be ready to guard against human nature, because it is human to assume the next game is going to go like the last one, but that is not going to happen.”
Despite their losing record in conference play, ULM (5-12, 1-5 SBC) has lost to SBC West Division leaders Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock by a combined six points. The Warhawks also hold a 5-2 record at Fant-Ewing Coliseum compared to a paltry 0-10 record on the road.
“The sad thing about our league is the records don't always give you an indication of how good a team is. I think ULM is a very good three-point shooting team, one of the best in the league. That could really be a problem for our zone defense. They have also played better at home than on the road, but on the road they missed a couple of shots late that could have given them wins over UALR and Arkansas State. Those are two of the best teams in the league. ULM is so much better than its record indicates and so much better than people think,” Maestri said.
The Warhawks shoot 34 percent from deep as a team, but feature three players shooting better than 45 percent individually.
ULM is led offensively by a trio of players scoring in double-figures. Lawrence Gilbert scores 13.5 ppg while grabbing more than five rebounds a contest. He also hits better than 50 percent of his three-point tries.
Malcolm Thomas adds 12.3 ppg and Rudy Turner mans the paint with his 10.9 ppg average and seven rebounds a game. He also has a team-high 29 blocks.
Troy is getting huge all-around output from Richard Delk and Michael Vogler over the last three games. Delk is scoring 13 ppg with nine rebounds and four assists in wins over USA and William Carey plus the two-point loss to Louisiana Lafayette. Vogler is scoring 11.7 ppg with 3.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
A win by the Trojans would mark the first time in its four-year Sun Belt Conference history that the team has won back-to-back SBC road games and would be the best conference start for Troy since joining the league.
The game is Troy's second televised game of the year. The Trojans' New Year's Day loss to WKU was televised on Fox College Sports. Despite the added attention of television, Maestri does not see any change in pressure from the always stressful Sun Belt Conference.
“The pressure in this league comes with the teams you play. Everyone in this league is good and can win on any night. Every game is important, this league is going to go down to the last one or two games of the year. Pressure is one every team for every game they play,” he said.
Lyn Rollins (play-by-play) and Wimp Sanderson (color analysis) will have the call for the television broadcast, while Barry McKnight will bring you all the action on the Troy ISP Network.
The game will be televised on CSS/CTV along with ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.
Troy shot more than 50 percent from beyond the arc while hitting 16 treys to building a big first half lead against the Jaguars. With the big conference victory now in the past, Troy head coach Don Maestri has the tough task of preparing his team for a very physical ULM team.
“I think one we have to be prepared for a tough, hard-fought game. This game is not going to be as easy as the last game. Against South Alabama just about everything that could have gone our way, went our way. This game against ULM is not going to be an easy game,” Coach Maestri said.
“We are going to have to be prepared to fight through adversity, because we did not have to do much of that on Thursday night. We have got to be ready to guard against human nature, because it is human to assume the next game is going to go like the last one, but that is not going to happen.”
Despite their losing record in conference play, ULM (5-12, 1-5 SBC) has lost to SBC West Division leaders Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock by a combined six points. The Warhawks also hold a 5-2 record at Fant-Ewing Coliseum compared to a paltry 0-10 record on the road.
“The sad thing about our league is the records don't always give you an indication of how good a team is. I think ULM is a very good three-point shooting team, one of the best in the league. That could really be a problem for our zone defense. They have also played better at home than on the road, but on the road they missed a couple of shots late that could have given them wins over UALR and Arkansas State. Those are two of the best teams in the league. ULM is so much better than its record indicates and so much better than people think,” Maestri said.
The Warhawks shoot 34 percent from deep as a team, but feature three players shooting better than 45 percent individually.
ULM is led offensively by a trio of players scoring in double-figures. Lawrence Gilbert scores 13.5 ppg while grabbing more than five rebounds a contest. He also hits better than 50 percent of his three-point tries.
Malcolm Thomas adds 12.3 ppg and Rudy Turner mans the paint with his 10.9 ppg average and seven rebounds a game. He also has a team-high 29 blocks.
Troy is getting huge all-around output from Richard Delk and Michael Vogler over the last three games. Delk is scoring 13 ppg with nine rebounds and four assists in wins over USA and William Carey plus the two-point loss to Louisiana Lafayette. Vogler is scoring 11.7 ppg with 3.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
A win by the Trojans would mark the first time in its four-year Sun Belt Conference history that the team has won back-to-back SBC road games and would be the best conference start for Troy since joining the league.
The game is Troy's second televised game of the year. The Trojans' New Year's Day loss to WKU was televised on Fox College Sports. Despite the added attention of television, Maestri does not see any change in pressure from the always stressful Sun Belt Conference.
“The pressure in this league comes with the teams you play. Everyone in this league is good and can win on any night. Every game is important, this league is going to go down to the last one or two games of the year. Pressure is one every team for every game they play,” he said.
Lyn Rollins (play-by-play) and Wimp Sanderson (color analysis) will have the call for the television broadcast, while Barry McKnight will bring you all the action on the Troy ISP Network.
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