Troy University Athletics
Saturday, February 24
Monroe, La.
2:30 p.m.
Troy University
at
ULM
Men’s Basketball Travels to ULM for Saturday Afternoon Contest
2/23/2024 12:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Following a heartbreaking defeat on Thursday night against Arkansas State, the Troy men's basketball team looks to return to its winning form on Saturday afternoon as the Trojans head to Monroe, La., on Saturday for an afternoon showdown.
Troy (18-10, 11-4 SBC) showed impressive resilience on Thursday night, as it trailed by 19 points in the first half against Arkansas State and roared all the way back to take a 1-point lead with three minutes to go. However, Arkansas State answered back and dominated the final 90 seconds to grab a 79-71 win.
On the other side of things, ULM (11-15, 6-9 SBC) is in the midst of its best stretch of play this season and has won seven of its last 10 games. The Warhawks picked up a massive win over in-state rival Louisiana at home on Thursday night.
The two teams met in Troy last Saturday, with the Trojans securing a dominant 85-57 win in its home finale. The Trojans lead the all-time series 15-11 and have the last four matchups.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (18-10, 11-4 SBC) at ULM (11-15, 6-9 SBC)
When: Saturday, February 24, 2024 – 2:30 p.m.
Where: Monroe, La. – Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Rematch
It was all Troy last Saturday when the two programs met in Alabama. The Trojan's 28-point win is its largest victory over a conference opponent this season and its largest since they defeated the Warhawks by 28 on Jan. 21, 2012.
Christyon Eugene was the go-to guy for the Trojans in the victory, as he erupted for 21 points on an efficient 7-11 from the field. It was Eugene's seventh time this season scoring 20 points or more. Troy will look to continue to keep the senior guard going offensively. He's scored in double-figures in 23 of 28 games this year after scoring 10 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
When the two teams last played, Jackson Fields was tied for a game-high +23 and recorded 10 points and four blocks. Fields did not travel on the road trip, so the Trojans will need someone to step up in his place on Saturday.
On Thursday night against A-State, Victor Valdes started in place of Fields and had his best collegiate performance. The Mexican forward set a new career-high with 16 points while recording four rebounds, three assists and three steals. In the second half, Valdes scored eight straight points over the span of 69 seconds to get the Trojans back within single digits.
Tayton Conerway also scored a career-high 16 points on 7-11 shooting.
Troy will look to put together a better shooting performance on Saturday in Monroe after shooting just 40 percent from the field on Thursday night. The Trojans shot 51.6 percent against ULM last week.
Scouting ULM
The Warhawks defeated Louisiana 66-59 at home on Thursday night to pick up their seventh win in their last 10 games. Nik Metskhvarishvili continues to be the top offensive option, as he's averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game.
Last week against Troy, Metskhvarishvili had six points and four rebounds. Makai Willis led the Warhawks with 10 points.
Conference Notables and Tidbits
• The Trojans are the 20th youngest team in Division I basketball according to KenPom.com.
• Troy sits in third place in the Sun Belt standings behind App State and James Madison.
• Troy is the only team in the Sun Belt with 10 or more conference wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Victor Valdes and Tayton Conerway each scored a career-high 16 points in Troy's loss to Arkansas State on Thursday night in Jonesboro.
• 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 11 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
• The Troy offense is averaging 79.6 points per game this season, which ranks as the second-best offense in the SBC and 52nd nationally. The Trojans have scored 80 or more points in 12 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 when Troy went 15-1 at home.
• Going into Saturday's game, Troy sits at 141 in the NET Rankings – fourth in the SBC. In the KenPom Ratings, the Trojans are sitting at 133 – fourth in the Sun Belt.
• The Trojans received votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll this week.
Troy (18-10, 11-4 SBC) showed impressive resilience on Thursday night, as it trailed by 19 points in the first half against Arkansas State and roared all the way back to take a 1-point lead with three minutes to go. However, Arkansas State answered back and dominated the final 90 seconds to grab a 79-71 win.
On the other side of things, ULM (11-15, 6-9 SBC) is in the midst of its best stretch of play this season and has won seven of its last 10 games. The Warhawks picked up a massive win over in-state rival Louisiana at home on Thursday night.
The two teams met in Troy last Saturday, with the Trojans securing a dominant 85-57 win in its home finale. The Trojans lead the all-time series 15-11 and have the last four matchups.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy (18-10, 11-4 SBC) at ULM (11-15, 6-9 SBC)
When: Saturday, February 24, 2024 – 2:30 p.m.
Where: Monroe, La. – Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Rematch
It was all Troy last Saturday when the two programs met in Alabama. The Trojan's 28-point win is its largest victory over a conference opponent this season and its largest since they defeated the Warhawks by 28 on Jan. 21, 2012.
Christyon Eugene was the go-to guy for the Trojans in the victory, as he erupted for 21 points on an efficient 7-11 from the field. It was Eugene's seventh time this season scoring 20 points or more. Troy will look to continue to keep the senior guard going offensively. He's scored in double-figures in 23 of 28 games this year after scoring 10 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
When the two teams last played, Jackson Fields was tied for a game-high +23 and recorded 10 points and four blocks. Fields did not travel on the road trip, so the Trojans will need someone to step up in his place on Saturday.
On Thursday night against A-State, Victor Valdes started in place of Fields and had his best collegiate performance. The Mexican forward set a new career-high with 16 points while recording four rebounds, three assists and three steals. In the second half, Valdes scored eight straight points over the span of 69 seconds to get the Trojans back within single digits.
Tayton Conerway also scored a career-high 16 points on 7-11 shooting.
Troy will look to put together a better shooting performance on Saturday in Monroe after shooting just 40 percent from the field on Thursday night. The Trojans shot 51.6 percent against ULM last week.
Scouting ULM
The Warhawks defeated Louisiana 66-59 at home on Thursday night to pick up their seventh win in their last 10 games. Nik Metskhvarishvili continues to be the top offensive option, as he's averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game.
Last week against Troy, Metskhvarishvili had six points and four rebounds. Makai Willis led the Warhawks with 10 points.
Conference Notables and Tidbits
• The Trojans are the 20th youngest team in Division I basketball according to KenPom.com.
• Troy sits in third place in the Sun Belt standings behind App State and James Madison.
• Troy is the only team in the Sun Belt with 10 or more conference wins in each of the last three seasons.
• Victor Valdes and Tayton Conerway each scored a career-high 16 points in Troy's loss to Arkansas State on Thursday night in Jonesboro.
• 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 11 points against Arkansas State on Thursday night.
• The Troy offense is averaging 79.6 points per game this season, which ranks as the second-best offense in the SBC and 52nd nationally. The Trojans have scored 80 or more points in 12 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 when Troy went 15-1 at home.
• Going into Saturday's game, Troy sits at 141 in the NET Rankings – fourth in the SBC. In the KenPom Ratings, the Trojans are sitting at 133 – fourth in the Sun Belt.
• The Trojans received votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll this week.
Players Mentioned
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