Trojans Set for Thursday night at FIU

Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes

MIAMI, Fla. – The Troy men's basketball team closes out the regular season this week with two contests in south Florida, beginning with a game against FIU on Thursday night. The Trojans and Panthers are set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. CST.

The Trojans (8-17, 3-11) are coming off of an overtime loss to West Division leader UALR this past Saturday in the final game ever at Sartain Hall. Troy has lost two straight overall and three straight on the road.

Troy meets an FIU (7-19, 4-10) that has struggled lately, having lost its last four overall. The Panthers are just 1-8 at home this season including an 0-6 mark in Sun Belt play. In fact, FIU's last home Sun Belt win came nearly a year ago as Troy fell at FIU in overtime in the 2010-11 regular season finale.

The two sided come into Thursday's contest with just a game separating them in the Sun Belt standings as seeding is on the line for next Sun Belt Basketball Championships. The Trojans would currently be the 11th seed in the tournament.

For live audio through Trojan All-Access, visit the above link. Fans can also find live stats at the above link.

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or become fans on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.

Gameday Storylines

- After falling in overtime, 74-62, in the final game ever at Sartain Hall last Saturday, the Trojans look to rebound at FIU who has lost four straight.

- Troy has won just two road games this season while FIU has just one home win. FIU's last SBC win at home came last season against Troy.

- With two regular season games to go, Troy would currently be the 11th seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, but they are just a game behind FIU for 10th.

- The Trojans enter Thursday's game as the seventh best 3-point shooting team in the country as they average 8.6 made 3-pointers game. Florida (10.3) leads the nation while Troy is averaging just 6.0 in their last five games.

- The outside shooting creates long rebounds which allow the undersized Trojans to grab 14.3 offensive boards per game, the second best mark in the Sun Belt (South Alabama) and 16th best in the NCAA.

- Troy doesn't waste the extra possessions they create as they commit just 13.0 turnovers per game. Pair that with the 14.9 turnovers they force, and Troy's +1.96 turnover margin is the third best in the Sun Belt.

- The Troy offense features a balanced attack as six different players have led the team in scoring this season. Will Weathers' 11.5 points per game average is tops on the team while Justin Wright is also in double-figures (11.0).

- Weathers doesn't just score for the Trojans, he is also one of the best distributors in the nation as his 5.7 assists per game lead the Sun Belt and rank 27th in the NCAA.

Looking at FIU

- The Panthers come in to Thursday's contest as losers of four straight, all against West Division opponents.

- FIU is just 1-8 at home this season with the win coming back on Nov. 26 against Coastal Carolina. The Panthers are 0-6 at home in Sun Belt play with their last home Sun Belt win coming over Troy last season.

- FIU is led in scoring by DeJuan Wright who averages 15.6 and would be the league's top scorer if he qualified for the statistical rankings. Wright missed seven games earlier in the season and hasn't played in 75% of FIU's games.

- Phil Taylor averages 14.0 per game while Jeremy Allen is at 13.6, the fifth and sixth best marks in the league, respectively. FIU would be the only team with three Top 10 scorers if Wright was eligible.

- Despite the three high scorers, the Panthers only average 62.4 points per game as a team, the second worst mark in the league. Wright, Taylor and Allen, along with Dominique Ferguson (9.4), have combined to score 78 percent of FIU's points. In comparison, Troy's top four scorers have just 59 percent of the total points.

The Series

- Troy trails the all-time series with FIU, 5-7, with all 12 meetings coming with both sides as members of the Sun Belt. The Trojans are 2-4 against the Panthers in Miami, including an 83-76 loss in overtime last season in the regular season finale.

- The two sided met at Sartain Hall earlier this month on Feb. 2 with FIU winning 63-50. The 50 points are still the fewest the Trojans have scored this season. Troy scored just five points in the final 7:20 of the game as a one-point FIU lead grew to 13 by the end of the contest.

- In that game, the Panthers were 18-of-24 from the free throw line while the Trojans were just 4-of-12.

- Last season the two sides played two overtime games with FIU winning both.

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