Troy University Athletics
Saturday, December 21
Troy, Ala.
TBA
Troy University
vs
Georgia State
Men’s Basketball Welcomes Georgia State for Sun Belt Opener
12/20/2024 3:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team opens its conference slate on Saturday afternoon, as it welcomes the Georgia State Panthers to Trojan Arena for its final game of 2024. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
Troy (7-4, 0-0 SBC) is coming off a 105-60 win on Tuesday night over LaGrange College to wrap up its home non-conference schedule. The Trojans saw all 14 of its active players score and were led by Randarius Jones and his season-high 15 points.
Georgia State (4-7, 0-0 SBC) fell on the road to No. 2 Auburn 100-59 on Tuesday night and is in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Saturday is the first time that Troy has opened conference play at home since 2019, when it defeated Coastal Caroline 77-59.
Game Information
The Matchup: Georgia State at Troy
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 | 1 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. | Trojan Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Game Promotion: Christmas in Trojan Arena
Sun Belt Action
The Trojans look to continue their recent Sun Belt success as they head into their sixth conference schedule under the direction of head coach Scott Cross. Troy is the only team in the SBC to have won 10 or more conference games in each of the last three seasons.
In 2023-24, Troy finished third in the conference during the regular season with a 13-5 record. Going into this season, Troy was picked to finish third in the Preseason Coaches Poll, while also receiving one first-place vote.
The Trojans lead the conference in turnovers forced per game with 15.45, which is also good for 40th in the country. A bulk of Troy's forced turnovers are coming off steals this season, as it averages 10.4 a game, also first in the Sun Belt ninth in the country. Tayton Conerway is seventh nationally and first in the conference in total steals this season with 31. Troy has forced its opponents into double-figure turnovers in every game this season.
Troy has also been shooting the ball well as of late. On Tuesday night the Trojans shot 52.9 percent from the field and buried 10 three-pointers. Troy is 5-0 this year when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
Myles Rigsby continues to lead Troy in scoring at 11.6 points a night. He has scored in double figures in nine of 11 games this season and had a season-high 20 points against Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 1.
The Trojans bench scoring has also been an area of strength through its non-conference schedule. Troy's bench is scoring on average 30.5 points per night which comes in second in the Sun Belt and 39th among Division I teams. Jerrell Bellamy and his 8.3 points leads the bench while a plethora of other players have made impacts including Cooper Campbell and Theo Seng.
Scouting Georgia State
Georgia State also ranks top ten in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (6th), rebound margin (5th), scoring offense (7th) and free throws made per game (5th). Zarique Nutter is the Panthers' leading scorer with 16.3 points.
The Panthers last win came on Nov. 27 against Tulsa at home. Troy leads the all-time series 29-24, and won the last matchup 78-74 on Feb. 3, 2024, in Atlanta.
Notables
• Scott Cross is in his sixth season at the helm for Troy men's basketball, and his 18th as a Division I men's basketball head coach. While at Troy he has put together an 87-80 record, which includes three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. In each of those three seasons, he has also led the Trojans to 10 or more conference wins.
• Troy thrashed Middle Georgia State on Tuesday night in Trojan Arena, 105-60. All 14 of Troy's active players this season scored in the contest, and were led by Randarius Jones and his 15 points.
• Tuesday was Troy's first triple-digit scoring performance since it had 110 against Southern-New Orleans on Dec. 12, 2023.
• The Trojans are looking to win its conference opener for the second-straight season after beating Coastal Carolina on the road last year to open SBC play.
• The Trojans were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Coaches Preseason Poll, which is the highest it has been selected to finish since the start of the 2017-18 season. Troy received one first-place vote.
• Saturday is the first time since Troy has opened conference play at home since 2019, when it defeated Coastal Carolina 77-59.
• Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in turnovers forced per game with 15.45, which is also good for in the country.
• The Trojans are second in the conference in bench points per game (30.55), fastbreak points (13.36), field goal percentage (46.1), free throw percentage (72.1), rebound margin (+6.2) and scoring margin (+8.0).
• Scott Cross has started all ten games this season with the same starting lineup (Rigsby Jr., Conerway, Rigsby, Dowd and Fields). The longest streak of the same starting lineup last season was six games.
• In the era of the transfer portal, the Trojans did not a lose a single player from its 2023-24 squad to another Division I men's basketball team.
The only non-freshman addition to this year's team is JUCO transfer Cobi Campbell, who is out indefinitely with an injury.
Troy (7-4, 0-0 SBC) is coming off a 105-60 win on Tuesday night over LaGrange College to wrap up its home non-conference schedule. The Trojans saw all 14 of its active players score and were led by Randarius Jones and his season-high 15 points.
Georgia State (4-7, 0-0 SBC) fell on the road to No. 2 Auburn 100-59 on Tuesday night and is in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Saturday is the first time that Troy has opened conference play at home since 2019, when it defeated Coastal Caroline 77-59.
Game Information
The Matchup: Georgia State at Troy
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 | 1 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. | Trojan Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Game Promotion: Christmas in Trojan Arena
Sun Belt Action
The Trojans look to continue their recent Sun Belt success as they head into their sixth conference schedule under the direction of head coach Scott Cross. Troy is the only team in the SBC to have won 10 or more conference games in each of the last three seasons.
In 2023-24, Troy finished third in the conference during the regular season with a 13-5 record. Going into this season, Troy was picked to finish third in the Preseason Coaches Poll, while also receiving one first-place vote.
The Trojans lead the conference in turnovers forced per game with 15.45, which is also good for 40th in the country. A bulk of Troy's forced turnovers are coming off steals this season, as it averages 10.4 a game, also first in the Sun Belt ninth in the country. Tayton Conerway is seventh nationally and first in the conference in total steals this season with 31. Troy has forced its opponents into double-figure turnovers in every game this season.
Troy has also been shooting the ball well as of late. On Tuesday night the Trojans shot 52.9 percent from the field and buried 10 three-pointers. Troy is 5-0 this year when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
Myles Rigsby continues to lead Troy in scoring at 11.6 points a night. He has scored in double figures in nine of 11 games this season and had a season-high 20 points against Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 1.
The Trojans bench scoring has also been an area of strength through its non-conference schedule. Troy's bench is scoring on average 30.5 points per night which comes in second in the Sun Belt and 39th among Division I teams. Jerrell Bellamy and his 8.3 points leads the bench while a plethora of other players have made impacts including Cooper Campbell and Theo Seng.
Scouting Georgia State
Georgia State also ranks top ten in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage (6th), rebound margin (5th), scoring offense (7th) and free throws made per game (5th). Zarique Nutter is the Panthers' leading scorer with 16.3 points.
The Panthers last win came on Nov. 27 against Tulsa at home. Troy leads the all-time series 29-24, and won the last matchup 78-74 on Feb. 3, 2024, in Atlanta.
Notables
• Scott Cross is in his sixth season at the helm for Troy men's basketball, and his 18th as a Division I men's basketball head coach. While at Troy he has put together an 87-80 record, which includes three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. In each of those three seasons, he has also led the Trojans to 10 or more conference wins.
• Troy thrashed Middle Georgia State on Tuesday night in Trojan Arena, 105-60. All 14 of Troy's active players this season scored in the contest, and were led by Randarius Jones and his 15 points.
• Tuesday was Troy's first triple-digit scoring performance since it had 110 against Southern-New Orleans on Dec. 12, 2023.
• The Trojans are looking to win its conference opener for the second-straight season after beating Coastal Carolina on the road last year to open SBC play.
• The Trojans were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Coaches Preseason Poll, which is the highest it has been selected to finish since the start of the 2017-18 season. Troy received one first-place vote.
• Saturday is the first time since Troy has opened conference play at home since 2019, when it defeated Coastal Carolina 77-59.
• Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in turnovers forced per game with 15.45, which is also good for in the country.
• The Trojans are second in the conference in bench points per game (30.55), fastbreak points (13.36), field goal percentage (46.1), free throw percentage (72.1), rebound margin (+6.2) and scoring margin (+8.0).
• Scott Cross has started all ten games this season with the same starting lineup (Rigsby Jr., Conerway, Rigsby, Dowd and Fields). The longest streak of the same starting lineup last season was six games.
• In the era of the transfer portal, the Trojans did not a lose a single player from its 2023-24 squad to another Division I men's basketball team.
The only non-freshman addition to this year's team is JUCO transfer Cobi Campbell, who is out indefinitely with an injury.
Players Mentioned
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