Troy University Athletics
Trojans Host WKU on Thursday
1/20/2010 6:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)
THE COACHES
Troy
Don Maestri (Southern Miss, 1969)
Record at Troy:
466-332 (28th year)
Overall Record: Same
Western Kentucky
Ken
McDonald (Providence, 1992)
Record at USA: 36-15 (2nd
year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. Troy: 1-1
LAST GAME
Troy dropped a heart-breaker to South Alabama on a last second shot, 69-67. WKU also fell
in the final seconds, losing to Middle Tennessee 47-46.
NEXT GAME
The Trojans travel to face Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday at the Cajundome.
The Hilltoppers host a rematch from Monday with MTSU.
ON THE AIR
Radio: Troy ISP Sports Network; 94.7 FM WTBF in Troy,
560 AM WOOF in Dothan; Barry McKnight (pxp), Jerry
Miller (color)
On the web: www.troytrojans.com (audio); Trojan Gamepass (video)
TV: FCS Central
(DirecTV channel 617/satellite)
RANKINGS (through 1/19)
Troy: #185 RPI,
#186 Sagarin
WKU: #84 RPI, #113 Sagarin
THE SERIES
Troy trails 2-6
Current streak: Troy, Won 1
Troy's last win in series: 87-82 (2/14/09)
Last meeting: Troy 87, Western Kentucky 82 (3/8/09)
Last five games: Troy trails 1-4
Troy's last win at Trojan Arena: 94-70 (1/15/09)
WKU's last win at Trojan Arena: 94-90 (12/29/07)
Troy's record at Trojan Arena: 2-2
Troy's home streak: Won 1
Troy's longest winning / losing streak in series: 1 / 4
Notes: Despite the disparity in wins and losses, the Trojans
have traditionally played WKU very close ... Three of Troy's losses in the
series have come by four points or less ... Western Kentucky won the lone
pre-Sun Belt meeting between the two teams in Bowling Green in 1975, 88-72 ... Troy
associate head coach David Felix was a member of the team that made the
inaugural trip to Bowling Green ... As a sophomore he scored 14 points in 33
minutes ... Troy and WKU split the season series a year ago with each squad
winning on its home floor ... Troy's win last season broke a streak of four straight
losses to the Hilltoppers ... The Trojans' 76-49 victory over WKU on 1/19/06
came in Troy's first-ever Sun Belt home game ... Brandon Hazzard is averaging 15
ppg in four career games against the Toppers, including a career-best 35 last
season in Troy's home win
QUICK HITTERS
The Trojans dropped a last-second thriller to South Alabama on Saturday, but despite back-to-back losses are still very much in the race for the east division crown. Waiting on Thursday is division leader Western Kentucky University.
- Troy head coach Don Maestri is 53-53 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.
- Center Yamene Coleman has become a force in the paint for Troy over the last four games. The senior is averaging 14 ppg and 12.3 rpg while hitting 53 percent of his field goal attempts.
- Coleman has five double-doubles on the year, one away from tying Troy's Sun Belt record of six set by Richard Chaney during the 2006-07 season. He is tied with three others for 1st in the league with 5.
- Troy is looking to avoid its first three-game losing skid of the season. The Trojans dropped three straight on two occassions last season.
- The Trojans have dropped consecutive Sun Belt games for the first time since back-to-back losses to WKU and North Texas on February 13 and 16, 2008. The two most recent losses have come by a combined five points.
- Troy is averaging a league-best 79.3 ppg and is second in FG% (48.7%) and second in 3-point FG% (39.0). WKU is fifth in the SBC in FG% (44.5) and fourth in 3-point FG% defense (32.7).
- The game features two of the SBC's top scorers in Troy's Brandon Hazzard (1st-18.3 ppg) and WKU's AJ Slaughter (3rd-16.9 ppg). Hazzard is scoring 15 points per game for his career against the Toppers while shooting an even 50 percent (11-of-22) from deep.
- Reserve guard Vernon Taylor is averaging 9.0 ppg in 16.4 minutes per game in seven Sun Belt contests. The junior from Cross, SC is shooting an astounding 63.2 percent (24-of-38) from the field in those games.
