Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Arkansas State
Troy Men’s Basketball Travels to Arkansas State for Nationally Televised Game
2/21/2024 11:56:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team takes to the national stage on Thursday night as it faces off against Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark., at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and is the second meeting between the two teams in one week.
Troy (18-9, 11-3 SBC) is coming off an 85-57 win over ULM in its home finale on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena. The Trojans finished their home schedule with a 15-2 record, which marks the most home wins in a season since 1967-68.
Arkansas State (13-14, 8-6 SBC) is in the midst of a three-game winning streak and is coming off a 76-73 road win over South Alabama.
The Trojans and Red Wolves faced off last Thursday in Troy, with Arkansas State pulling out an 82-71 victory. Troy leads the all-time series 17-12.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (18-9, 11-3 SBC) at Arkansas State (13-14, 8-6 SBC)
When: Thursday, February 22, 2024 – 8 p.m. CT
Where: Jonesboro, Ark. – First National Bank Arena (10,038)
Watch: ESPNU
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: troystats.com
Watch Party: Baumhower's Victory Grille
Bounced Back
After suffering its first home conference loss of the season to Arkansas State, Troy responded in impressive fashion as they dominated ULM on Saturday afternoon. Prior to the game, the Trojans honored seniors Christyon Eugene and Aamer Muhammad. Eugene followed the pre-game festivities with an impressive 21-point effort to lead Troy to a 28-point victory over the Warhawks,
Eugene has been the offensive leader all season for the Trojans, as he has scored in double-figures in 22 of 27 games this season and has seven games of 20 or more points. He is averaging a team-best 15.3 points per game, which is seventh in the Sun Belt Conference.
In Saturday's game, the Trojans were extremely efficient from the field – 51.6 percent – and put together an impressive defensive showing. ULM struggled to get anything going offensively and was held to 32.3 percent from the field. It was the Trojan's best defensive game against an NCAA opponent this season. Troy generated 16 turnovers, with 11 of those coming off steals. Troy is first in the Sun Belt and 30th nationally in turnovers forced per game at 14.9.
A majority of those turnovers have come via steals. On the season, the Trojans are averaging a conference-best 9.7 steals per game. That number is also good for 11th nationally. Tayton Conerway is first in the conference and 64th nationally in total steals with 48.
Another Shot
Troy looks to get its redemption on Arkansas State on Thursday night. Last week, the Trojans struggled to shoot the ball, especially from 3-point range. The Trojans finished the night at 43.5 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from deep.
Troy will also need to do a better job crashing the boards, as the Red Wolves outrebounded Troy 43-35. Those extra rebounds resulted in more second chances for Arkansas State, who outscored Troy 33-11 on second-chance opportunities.
Scouting Arkansas State
Caleb Fields continues to lead the way for the Red Wolves with a team-high 12.8 points per game. Fields had 15 points in Troy last Thursday. Second on the team in scoring is Taryn Todd with 12.7 points per game. Against the Trojans, Todd had a game-high 19 points on 7-20 shooting.
While still under .500 on the season, the Red Wolves are playing some of the best basketball in the conference and are just one game back of a top-4 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament.
Conference Notables and Tidbits
• The Trojans are the 20th youngest team in Division I basketball according to KenPom.com.
• Troy sits tied for second place in the Sun Belt standings with James Madison.
• Troy is the only team in the Sun Belt with 10 or more conference wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Myles Rigsby has scored in double-figures in each of the last eight games and has 20 or more points in four of those games. Rigsby scored 12 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
• The Troy offense is averaging 79.9 points per game this season, which ranks as the second-best offense in the SBC and 51st nationally. The Trojans have scored 80 or more points in 13 games this season and have 60 or more points in all but one game.
• Troy's 15 home wins are the most since the 1967-68 season, and it's tied for the second most home wins by a Division I team this season. Nebraska has the most with 16.
• Troy is receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 this week after being ranked No. 23 last week.
• Going into Thursday's game, Troy sits at 140 in the NET Rankings – fourth in the SBC. In the KenPom Ratings, the Trojans are sitting at 129 – fourth in the Sun Belt.
