Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Marshall
Men’s Basketball Hosts Marshall on Wednesday
2/6/2024 12:02:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Troy men's basketball returns to Trojan Arena with a four-game winning streak as they host Marshall on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a battle between two of the top teams in the Sun Belt this season.
Troy (15-8, 9-2 SBC) is coming off a perfect road trip last week that saw the Trojans win at Georgia Southern and Georgia State. The Trojans sit in sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt standings and one game clear of James Madison and Louisiana (8-3) in third place.
Marshall (12-12, 7-4 SBC) is coming off a 91-74 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Obinna Anochili-Killen recorded his third double-double of the season in the victory. He had 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Troy is looking to extend its home winning streak to 11 games and bring its overall home record to 13-1, which would tie the most wins in a season in Troy since the 1992-93 season when the Trojans went 13-0.
Game Information
The Matchup: Marshall (12-12, 7-4 SBC) at Troy (15-8, 9-2 SBC)
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena (5,200)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 7 – 6 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Game Promotion: $5 GA tickets and $10 reserved tickets; free Chick-fil-A for the first 250 students
Toughness Travels
The Trojans didn't have the cleanest road trip offensively, shooting 43.1 percent and 40.6 percent, but they excelled in other categories that helped lead them to their most successful stretch of play on the road this season.
Troy dominated the rebounding battle in both games, as they combined to outbound Georgia State and Georgia Southern 92-65. Troy also grabbed 19 offensive rebounds against Georgia Southern and 20 against Georgia State. The Trojans are averaging 14.2 offensive rebounds per game, which is first in the Sun Belt and 10th nationally.
In addition to the impressive performance on the glass, the Trojans continue to play a physical style of offense that has led to plenty of opportunities for free points. Against Georgia State, Troy got to the free-throw line 23 times and made 17 of them. This season, Troy is averaging 23.0 free throw attempts per game, which is first in the conference and 34th nationally. On average they successfully convert 16.6 of those attempts – also the best in the conference and 34th nationally.
The Freshman Phenom
Over the last four games freshman forward Myles Rigsby has been nearly unstoppable offensively. Rigsby has scored in double-figures in all four of those games and 20 or more points in three of the last four games, including 20 points against Georgia State on Saturday.
Rigsby is fourth on the Trojans in scoring at 10.6 points. Also scoring in double-figures for Troy this season are Aamer Muhammad (10.7), Tayton Conerway (11.4), and Christyon Eugene (15.9).
Eugene, who set a new career-high in scoring with 28 points last Thursday against Georgia Southern, is fifth in scoring in the Sun Belt. He has scored in double-figures in 20 of 23 games and has scored 20 or more points six times this season.
Scouting Marshall
The Thundering Herd have won three of its last four games to put themselves in the hunt for a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Tournament next month. Anochili-Killen is leading the charge offensively for Marshall, as he averages 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Nate Martin is nearly averaging a double-double this season with 11.3 points and 9.5 rebounds. He has 11 double-doubles this season and recorded a triple-double against Old Dominion last Thursday.
Marshall leads the all-time series 3-1 and has won the last three matchups. Troy won the first-ever matchup between the two teams 77-72 on Nov. 23, 2001, at Marshall. The Trojans are 0-1 at home.
Conference Notables and Tidbits
• The Troy offense is averaging 80.0 points per game this season, which ranks as the second-best offense in the SBC and in the top 50 nationally. The Trojans have scored 80 or more points in 11 games this season and have 60 or more points in all but one game.
• The Trojans are 28th in the country and first in the Sun Belt in fastbreak points per game at 14.5.
• Troy is knocking down 9.0 three-pointers per game, which is 41st in the country and third in the conference.
• Troy's 12 home wins this season are the most in a single year since Trojan Arena opened. It's also the most home wins for Troy since the 1992-93 season when Troy won 13 games.
• Troy men's and women's basketball have a combined 18-4 conference record so far this season, which is the best combined conference record in the Sun Belt.
• Head coach Scott Cross won his 300th career game on Saturday. Seventy-five of those wins have come while leading Troy. At UTA Cross was 225-161.
• Troy has 70 combined starts by players who had not started a D-I game prior to this season.
