Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Kent State
Men’s Basketball Takes on Kent State in MAC-SBC Challenge
2/9/2024 4:15:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy men's basketball team takes a break from Sun Belt Conference play and looks to extend its win streak to six games as they host Kent State in the second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena.
The Trojans fell 88-70 to Ohio in the first MAC-SBC Challenge game on Nov. 8 in Athens, Ohio.
Troy (16-8, 10-2 SBC) enters the one-game break in conference play tied atop the Sun Belt standings with App State. However, Troy holds the tiebreaker due to its win over the Mountaineers on Jan. 6 in Troy.
On Wednesday, Troy defeated Marshall 82-66 for its fifth consecutive win. The Trojans have beaten every team in the east division this season except for James Madison, who Troy does not play in the regular season.
Kent State (12-11, 5-6 MAC) is coming off a 63-61 win over Western Michigan on Tuesday.
Saturday is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Scott Cross is 1-0 all-time against the Golden Flashes from his time as the head coach at UT-Arlington.
Game Information
The Matchup: Kent State (12-11, 5-6 MAC) at Troy (16-8, 10-2 SBC)
Location: Troy, Ala. – Trojan Arena (5,200)
When: Saturday, February 8 – 3:33 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com.
Game Promotion: Military Appreciation
Freshman Phenoms
Coming off an undefeated two-game trip to the Peach State, the Trojans returned home on Wednesday and continued to dominate as they picked up their fifth double-digit conference win of the season.
Troy was led by standout freshmen Thomas Dowd and Myles Rigsby. Dowd had his second double-double of the season as he scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds – the most by a Trojan this season. Rigsby contributed a game-high 19 points and had eight rebounds. The forward out of Fort Worth, Texas, has scored in double-figures in five straight games and has scored in double figures in nine of 12 conference games.
Rigsby is shooting an impressive 51.6 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from deep and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line against SBC opponents while averaging 14.2 points – second on the team.
Setting the Standard
Troy is the only team in the Sun Belt to have 10 or more conference wins in each of the last three seasons – including the 2023-24 campaign. With four more wins this season, the Trojans will also be the only team in the conference to win 20 or more games in each of the last three years.
Over that period of time, Troy is 31-17 against SBC opponents.
In addition to being at the top of the SBC standings, the Trojans are leading the conference in a plethora of statistical categories including bench points per game, fast break points per game, free throw attempts per game, free throws made per game, rebound margin, offensive rebounds per game and steals per game.
Troy is also top-10 nationally in steals per game and offensive rebounds per game.
Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes are the defending MAC Champions after putting together an impressive 28-7 record and going 15-3 in conference play last year. They fell to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kent State has won two straight games coming into Saturday. In the first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge, Kent State hosted James Madison and fell 113-108 in double overtime.
Jalen Sullinger is the leading scorer for the Golden Flashes this season with 14.9 points per game. He is shooting 44 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range.
Troy Notables and Tidbits
• Troy is the only team in the Sun Belt that has won 10 or more conference games in each of the last three seasons. Troy is 31-17 against SBC teams during that span.
• Troy's 13 home wins this season is the most since the 1992-93 season when Troy went 13-0 at home. It's also the most home wins since Troy went D-I.
• Wednesday was the first time since March 3, 2024, against Arkansas State that Troy had two double-figure rebounders in the same game.
• The Troy offense is averaging 80.1 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 12 games this season and have 60 or more points in all but one game.
• Going into Saturday's game, Troy sits at 135 in the NET Rankings – fourth in the SBC. In the KenPom Ratings, the Trojans are sitting at 128 – third in the Sun Belt.
• Troy is averaging 30.6 bench points per game, which is first in the conference and 14th nationally.
• Tayton Conerway is second in the conference and 68th nationally in total steals with 42.
• Head coach Scott Cross sits at 301 career wins and has put together a winning record in 11 of his 16 full seasons as a head coach. Cross' 96 Sun Belt wins are third among active coaches in the conference.
• Troy has 73 combined starts by players who had not started a D-I game prior to this season.
