Troy University Athletics
Troy University
South Alabama
Men’s Basketball Travels to Mobile for Showdown Against South Alabama
1/17/2024 11:57:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. — The Troy men's basketball team takes its six-game winning streak and perfect conference start to Mobile, Ala., as it faces off against South Alabama on Thursday night.
Troy (11-6, 5-0 SBC) is off to its best conference start since the 2003-04 season when the Trojans opened 6-0 in conference play (ASUN), and it's off to its best start since Troy joined the Sun Belt before the 2005-06 season.
The six-game winning streak is also the longest since the 2016-17 season when it also won six games in a row. The Trojans made the NCAA Tournament that season.
South Alabama (9-8, 2-3 SBC) is coming off a 91-85 win over Marshall in Huntington, W.V., on Saturday. The Jaguars lead the all-time series against Troy, 29-13.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (11-6, 5-0 SBC) at South Alabama (9-8, 2-3 SBC)
Location: Mobile, Ala. – Mitchell Center (10,041)
When: Thursday, January 18 — 7 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
A Perfect Start
The Trojans stayed hot as they took down Southern Miss 82-56 in front of the eighth-largest crowd at Trojan Arena on Saturday afternoon. The 26-point win was the largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent since Troy defeated ULM 91-63 in 2012.
Jackson Fields had an impressive showing in the win, as he led the Trojans in scoring with 13 points — tying his career-high.
Southern Miss struggled to slow down the Troy offense and had no answer for all the different scorers coming off the Troy bench. The Trojans had 37 bench points and were led by Tayton Conerway's 12 points and five assists.
On the season Troy is averaging 32.9 bench points per game, which is the 12th highest in the country and first in the Sun Belt.
Another key to the Trojans' success in conference play has been its ability to cause chaos on the court and force opposing offenses into committing turnovers. Troy is forcing the second most turnovers per game in the conference at 15.9, which is also 21st nationally.
Saturday, Troy forced 18 turnovers with seven coming off steals. The Trojans scored 22 points off those turnovers.
On the other side of things, Troy has done a good job limiting offensive mistakes. In three of its five conference games, Troy has committed ten turnovers or less — including nine against Southern Miss.
Dominating the Paint
The Trojans are one of the best rebounding teams in the country this season. Troy is pulling down 40.7 rebounds per game, the 30th most in the country and third in the conference.
Troy has also done a good job cleaning up on the offensive boards, averaging 14.5 offensive rebounds per game. That marks the ninth-best nationally and best in the Sun Belt.
Scouting South Alabama
Historically, the Trojans have struggled against the Jaguars but have won two of the last three matchups, including the most recent contest. Troy took down South Alabama 61-57 at home on Feb. 9, 2023.
Troy is 5-15 when traveling to Mobile.
South Alabama has been led by Isiah Gaiter and his 16.9 points per game – fifth in the conference. He has scored in double figures in 15 of 17 games this season and is first in the SBC in minutes per game at 35.5.
Prior to its win over Marshall, South Alabama had lost three straight games.
Conference Notables
• Scott Cross won his 71st game as the Troy head coach on Saturday. He now has a winning record for the first time as the Troy Head Coach (71-70). He sits four victories away from 300 career wins.
• The last time Troy started 5-0 in conference play was the 2003-2004 season, and this is the best start to conference play since Troy joined the Sun Belt Conference.
• Six games is Troy's longest winning streak since the 2016-17 season when it also won six games in a row. Troy made the NCAA Tournament that season.
• Troy's 26-point win over Southern Miss on Saturday was the highest margin of victory over a conference opponent since it beat ULM 91-63 in 2012.
• Troy has three players scoring in double figures this season. Christyon Eugene (15.2), Tayton Conerway (11.9) and Aamer Muhammad (10.4) have all been key to Troy's offensive success this season.
• Theo Seng is starting to shoot the ball from a distance better and set a new career-high in three-pointers made on Saturday with three.
• Under head coach Scott Cross, Troy is 46-28 when playing in the state of Alabama. All-time Cross is 49-35 when coaching games in Alabama.
• Thomas Dowd had seven rebounds against Southern Miss on Saturday and leads all Trojans with 5.5 rebounds per game.
