Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Georgia Southern
Men’s Basketball Travels to Georgia Southern on Thursday Night
1/31/2024 10:21:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Coming off a 2-0 homestand in Trojan Arena last week, the Troy men's basketball team heads to Statesboro, Ga., to take on Georgia Southern on Thursday night in the Hanner Fieldhouse.
Troy (13-8, 7-2 SBC) defeated Texas State and South Alabama last week and finds itself sitting alone in second place in the Sun Belt standings. Just ahead of them is App State, whose lone conference loss came in Trojan Arena on Jan. 6.
Georgia Southern (5-16, 5-4 SBC) struggled in non-conference play, going 0-12, but has played well through its first nine conference games. The Eagles have won three of their last four games, including a 76-70 win over Old Dominion last time out.
The Trojans are 11-16 all-time against Georgia Southern but have had recent success, winning two of the last three matchups, including the most recent one on Feb. 5, 2022, in Statesboro as they picked up a 61-52 win.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (13-8, 7-2 SBC) at Georgia Southern (5-16, 5-4 SBC)
Location: Statesboro, Ga. – Hanner Fieldhouse (4,325)
When: Thursday, Feb. 1 – 6 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Bounced Back
Going into last week's home games, Troy had lost its previous two road games at South Alabama and Southern Miss. The losses were the Trojans' first of its conference schedule.
The losing streak lasted just those two games, as Troy responded with a 78-65 win over Texas State and an 83-79 win over South Alabama. The Trojans remain unbeaten at home in conference play at 6-0 and are 12-1 at home this season.
Forward Myles Rigsby is in the midst of his most impressive stretch of the season, as he scored 20 points against Texas State and set a new career-high of 21 points against South Alabama. The freshman out of Fort Worth, Texas, is now averaging double-digit points (10.1) and over four rebounds per game.
In addition to Rigsby's strong play, Aamer Muhammad stepped up big-time against South Alabama on Saturday. The senior guard scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Muhammad also buried a massive three-pointer with about 30 seconds left to ice the game for the Trojans.
Troy continues to get productive offensive play out of star senior Christyon Eugene and his team-leading 15.4 points. Eugene has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games this season and is second on the team in rebounds with five per game. He also leads Troy with 3.7 assists.
All these players have contributed to the high-power Trojan offense that is averaging 80 points per game, which is second in the Sun Belt behind James Madison.
Dominating Defensively
The Trojans have also done well on the other side of the court, as they have allowed 69.8 points per game – third in the conference – and limited teams to 42.5 percent shooting.
Troy is averaging 10 steals per game. That is the best in the conference and 10th nationally. The Trojans have 10-plus steals in 14 games this season, including in six of the last eight games. Overall, the defense is forcing 15.4 turnovers per game – a mark that is third in the conference and 24th in the country.
The Trojans have forced opponents into double-digit turnovers in all but two games this season.
Scouting Georgia Southern
The Eagles have been led this season by Tyron Moore and his 15.7 points. He is shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range. As a team, Georgia Southern has shot 41.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from distance.
Georgia Southern is averaging 70.4 points per game as an offense while allowing 78.9 points defensively.
In its win over Old Dominion on Saturday, Georgia Southern received a 20-point effort from Moore and got a career-high 13 points from Nate Brafford. The Eagles also grabbed a season-high 44 rebounds.
Conference Notables and Tid Bits
• Head coach Scott Cross sits at 298 career victories. Seventy-three of those wins have come while leading the Trojans. At UT-Arlington, Cross was 225-161.
• Myles Rigsby is coming off a career-high 21 points against South Alabama on Saturday in Trojan Arena.
• Troy's 12 home wins this season are the most since they moved into Trojan Arena and the most since the 1992-93 season (13).
• Going into Thursday's game, Troy sits at 149 in the NET Rankings – fourth in the SBC. In the KenPom Ratings, the Trojans are sitting at 143 – fourth in the Sun Belt.
• Troy is 39th nationally in rebounds per game with 39.7. The Trojans are averaging 13.7 offensive rebounds per game, which is second in the Sun Belt and 16th nationally.
• Troy has 67 combined starts by players who had not started a D-I game prior to this season.
