Troy University Athletics
Troy University
23-11,13-5Sun Belt
Kentucky
23-11,10-8SEC
Troy Falls to Kentucky in NCAA Tournament
3/21/2025 11:47:00 PM | Basketball (M)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – One of the best seasons in program history came to a close on Friday night, as No. 14 Troy fell to No. 3 Kentucky, 76-57, in the First Round of the Midwest Region at the Fiserv Forum on Friday night.
The game marked Troy's third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history and its first since 2017. The Trojans earned the Sun Belt's automatic qualifier after a historic season that saw it win both the regular season and tournament title. The Trojans 23 wins were their most in a season since 2003-04, when they won 24.
Troy (23-11) came out of the gates strong, as the two sides went back and forth for much of the first half. With 7:35 left in the opening 20 minutes, the score was tied at 19 and the Trojans continued to play strong for the next few minutes. Troy trailed 25-24 with 3:17 left before Kentucky went on a 10-0 run to make it a double-digit lead. Jackson Fields buried a three with 45 seconds left to send the Trojans into the locker room down 35-27.
Fields had a team-high seven points points in the opening half but Troy struggled from the field, shooting just 33.3 percent.
The beginning of the second half saw Kentucky push its lead to 11 with 14 minutes left to play in regulation. The Trojans answered with a quick 5-0 run to cut the Wildcat advantage down to six. With momentum appearing to be leaning in favor of Troy, Kentucky punched back with a 16-0 run to give itself a 61-39 lead.
Troy never got closer than 13 for the rest of the game. The team struggled shooting the ball all night, sitting at 34.9 percent. Myles Rigsby had a team-high 17 points on 6-11 shooting. Tayton Conerway had his 27th double-digit scoring performance of the season after adding 12 points. Thomas Dowd had a team-high 11 rebounds.
Kentucky was led by Otega Oweh and his game-high 20 points. He also added eight rebounds and six assists. Koby Brea (13), Andrew Carr (13) and Brandon Garrison (13) also scored in double figures for the Wildcats. Kentucky finished with a 47.5 percent shooting clip.
Quotable – head coach Scott Cross
"It was disappointing to lose the basketball game. Our guys played hard. They went on a run. Our intensity dropped a little bit. I'm so thankful to the good Lord to have this opportunity for these guys right here, Tate and Theo, the rest of the guys on our team. I want them to remember the great things that happened throughout the year. I think our guys believed that they could win the basketball game. But, again, Kentucky's a really good basketball team, and the size obviously affected us a lot. Amari Williams plugging up everything in the paint was hard for our guys. I think we were able to get some good looks off the pick and roll, but you go right in and have got a seven-footer shot blocker sitting in the paint, and that's hard to deal with. When you kick it out and your 3s aren't falling, it makes it difficult to score baskets. But, again, I'm so thankful for our guys and what they've done this season. It's been 17 years since I've been to the NCAA Tournament. I don't take that for granted at all.
Notables
• Troy moves to 0-2 all-time against Kentucky.
• Troy is 0-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Friday night was the Trojans first appearance in the tournament since 2017.
• Myles Rigsby had a team-high 17 points, while Tayton Conerway had 12 for his 27th double figure performance of the season.
• Thomas Dowd added a team-high 11 rebounds. It was his fifth game this season with double-digit boards.
• Troy held the No. 4 scoring offense in the country (85.3) to 76 points and 47.5 percent shooting.
• Cooper Campbell was a team-high plus-eight in his 20 minutes of action.
• Head coach Scott Cross is now 0-2 as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. His previous appearance came in 2008 while he was the head coach of UT-Arlington.
