Troy University Athletics
Saturday, January 1
Arlington, Texas
2 p.m.
Troy University
at
UT Arlington
Photo by: Chris Davis
Men’s Basketball Kicks Off the New Year with Sun Belt Tilt at UT-Arlington
12/31/2021 2:34:00 PM | Basketball (M)
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Troy men's basketball team is looking to start the new year on the right foot as the Trojans finish off their road trip in Texas against UT-Arlington on Saturday in College Park Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in what will be Troy head coach Scott Cross' first game back at UTA following 20 years on the Mavericks coaching staff, including 12 as the head coach from 2006-18.
The Trojans (10-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) enter this game feeling on top of the world after capturing their fifth straight victory following a 78-63 win over the defending regular season Sun Belt champions, Texas State, on Thursday. The win continued Troy's best start for the program since the 2003-04 season when the Trojans won the Atlantic Sun regular season title.
Saturday's game against the Mavs (5-7, 1-0) concludes the Trojans' three-game road trip before they look to return home for four straight inside Trojan Arena.
Last Time Out
Troy comes into Arlington riding a wave of victories, including a huge 78-63 win at Texas State on Thursday night at Strahan Arena.
Efe Odigie was unstoppable in the paint finishing with 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field; 16 of those points came in the second half as he took over to help the Trojans outscore the Bobcats 45-39 after the break.
Khalyl Waters (10) and Zay Williams (11) also had their way offensively, finding their way to double-digits on impressive shooting from the field. Together they shot 8-of-11 from the floor as they combined for 21 points.
Defensively, Duke Miles was a man on a mission with five total steals as the Trojans smothered the Bobcat offense. Troy limited Texas State to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and 23.8 percent from deep.
Keeping Up with the Trojans
Location: Arlington, Texas – College Park Center
The Matchup: Troy (10-4) vs. UT-Arlington (5-7)
When: Saturday, January 1 – 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com - gotroy.us/3sDW6Sw
What Does the History Show?
UT-Arlington leads the all-time series 8-4.
The Trojans captured their first win over the Mavericks since 2017, ending a four-game losing streak to UTA last season, as Troy bounced UTA from the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Duke Miles led the team to a 91-86 victory over the Mavericks on 26 points off an impressive 8-of-11 from the field. He also finished with four steals, five rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Williams also willed himself to 20 points on the night off six made shots from deep.
Troy travels to College Park Center to face off against the Mavericks, where the Trojans have not achieved victory since 2015. That win came on two clutch free throws by Kelton Ford to give the Trojans the lead with just three seconds remaining in a 55-54 win.
Scouting the Mavericks
UT-Arlington enters the contest after closing out 2021 with two-straight victories. Its most recent victory needed extra time to decide the winner after battling with South Alabama in overtime to pull off the 89-87 victory.
The win was paced by David Azore, who finished with 30 points and three assists. The Mavericks continue to dominate with their ability to deny shots as they rank first in the Sun Belt Conference with 5.3 blocks per game. Kaod Akobundu-Ehiogu leads the way with three blocks per game, while David Azore ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with 15.2 points per game.
Notable Numbers
• The Trojans are currently on a five-game winning streak. The last time they went on a streak this long was in the 2016-17 season when they captured six in a row to win the Sun Belt title.
• With this upcoming matchup against the Mavericks, the Trojans have a chance to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2009-10 season. They pulled off the hot start with victories over the ULM, 83-82, and Denver, 64-46.
• Troy has only beaten the Mavericks twice in a row, once in their meeting history. This came in the 2014-15 season.
• With Odigie's performance on Thursday, he becomes the 23rd highest scorer in the Sun Belt Conference, averaging 11.1 points per game.
The Trojans (10-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) enter this game feeling on top of the world after capturing their fifth straight victory following a 78-63 win over the defending regular season Sun Belt champions, Texas State, on Thursday. The win continued Troy's best start for the program since the 2003-04 season when the Trojans won the Atlantic Sun regular season title.
Saturday's game against the Mavs (5-7, 1-0) concludes the Trojans' three-game road trip before they look to return home for four straight inside Trojan Arena.
Last Time Out
Troy comes into Arlington riding a wave of victories, including a huge 78-63 win at Texas State on Thursday night at Strahan Arena.
Efe Odigie was unstoppable in the paint finishing with 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field; 16 of those points came in the second half as he took over to help the Trojans outscore the Bobcats 45-39 after the break.
Khalyl Waters (10) and Zay Williams (11) also had their way offensively, finding their way to double-digits on impressive shooting from the field. Together they shot 8-of-11 from the floor as they combined for 21 points.
Defensively, Duke Miles was a man on a mission with five total steals as the Trojans smothered the Bobcat offense. Troy limited Texas State to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and 23.8 percent from deep.
Keeping Up with the Trojans
Location: Arlington, Texas – College Park Center
The Matchup: Troy (10-4) vs. UT-Arlington (5-7)
When: Saturday, January 1 – 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com - gotroy.us/3sDW6Sw
What Does the History Show?
UT-Arlington leads the all-time series 8-4.
The Trojans captured their first win over the Mavericks since 2017, ending a four-game losing streak to UTA last season, as Troy bounced UTA from the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Duke Miles led the team to a 91-86 victory over the Mavericks on 26 points off an impressive 8-of-11 from the field. He also finished with four steals, five rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Williams also willed himself to 20 points on the night off six made shots from deep.
Troy travels to College Park Center to face off against the Mavericks, where the Trojans have not achieved victory since 2015. That win came on two clutch free throws by Kelton Ford to give the Trojans the lead with just three seconds remaining in a 55-54 win.
Scouting the Mavericks
UT-Arlington enters the contest after closing out 2021 with two-straight victories. Its most recent victory needed extra time to decide the winner after battling with South Alabama in overtime to pull off the 89-87 victory.
The win was paced by David Azore, who finished with 30 points and three assists. The Mavericks continue to dominate with their ability to deny shots as they rank first in the Sun Belt Conference with 5.3 blocks per game. Kaod Akobundu-Ehiogu leads the way with three blocks per game, while David Azore ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with 15.2 points per game.
Notable Numbers
• The Trojans are currently on a five-game winning streak. The last time they went on a streak this long was in the 2016-17 season when they captured six in a row to win the Sun Belt title.
• With this upcoming matchup against the Mavericks, the Trojans have a chance to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2009-10 season. They pulled off the hot start with victories over the ULM, 83-82, and Denver, 64-46.
• Troy has only beaten the Mavericks twice in a row, once in their meeting history. This came in the 2014-15 season.
• With Odigie's performance on Thursday, he becomes the 23rd highest scorer in the Sun Belt Conference, averaging 11.1 points per game.
Players Mentioned
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