Troy Begins Title Defense Wednesday Against South Alabama

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – Troy's road to defending the Sun Belt Tournament title will begin on Wednesday afternoon as the Trojans prepare to face rival South Alabama on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the first round of the conference tournament in Lakefront Arena.

The battle between in-state foes materialized following a narrow 89-83 loss at Georgia Southern in the regular season finale on Saturday. Troy (15-16, 9-9) surged back from 17 down to make it a three-point game with 1:20 to play before Tookie Brown hit a one-handed, desperation three to help buoy the Eagles down the stretch.

It will be the second-straight season the Trojans will play in the first round following last year's 84-64 win over Appalachian State when Troy entered the tournament as the six seed; just one spot ahead of the team's seventh seeding this season.

Wesley Person scored 29 against the Mountaineers in last year's opener en route to being named the Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He will be looked to for a similar performance again this year as Troy will be tasked with potentially having to defeat three higher-seeded opponents to repeat as champions.

Both Person (third team) and Jordon Varnado (second team) were named to the All-Sun Belt Team on Monday afternoon. It marked the second-straight season both were recognized by the league as Person became just the fifth player in Sun Belt history to be named all-conference all four years.

This will be the third matchup between South Alabama (14-17, 7-11) and Troy this season with the Trojans taking both contests by 15 or more. The last meeting came in Trojan Arena on Feb. 3 in a game in which Troy had five double-digit scorers in an 80-63 victory.

South Alabama comes into the tournament on a cold streak as the Jaguars have dropped five-straight following the 90-75 loss at Georgia State in the season finale. In the past 11 games, South Alabama has lost eight with five coming by nine or more.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Tipoff: 5 p.m.
Location: New Orleans, La.
Video: ESPN3
Audio: TroyTrojans.com/watch
Stats: Stats.statbroadcast.com
Twitter: @TroyMensHoops

SERIES HISTORY
Overall Series: South Alabama, 21-10
Streak: Troy, W2
Last: Troy 80, South Alabama 30, Feb. 3, 2018

NOTEWORTHY
• Troy is looking to become the first back-to-back champion since the 2013 Western Kentucky squad.

• Alex Hicks had the best outing of his career in the first matchup against South Alabama with career highs in points (30) and rebounds (16).

• A win on Wednesday would pit Troy against Georgia State on Friday in the quarterfinals. Troy beat Georgia State in last year's Sun Belt semifinal and swept the Panthers this season.

For more information on Troy men's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on social media at @TroyMensHoops.

Troy Begins Title Defense Wednesday Against South Alabama

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Players Mentioned

Alex Hicks

Wesley Person

Jordon Varnado

Troy University Athletics