Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Arkansas State
Men's Basketball Set for Home Tilt with Arkansas State
1/16/2026 1:59:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Off to a 5-1 start in Sun Belt play, Troy men's basketball is set to host Arkansas State on Saturday at 3:33 p.m. at Trojan Arena in a clash between the conference's top-ranked teams.
Troy (12-6, 5-1) won its fifth Sun Belt game of the season on Wednesday, using another impressive shooting performance to run past Southern Miss, 91-65 at Trojan Arena. The win pushed the Trojans into a share of first place in the Sun Belt with Georgia Southern.
Cobi Campbell shot the lights out against the Golden Eagles, scoring 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, which included connecting on 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc. Campbell's 30 points are the second highest from a Trojan this season - Cobi's brother Cooper went for 32 against USC on Nov. 20.
Campbell's 30-point performance marked just the third time since 2020 that a Trojan has scored 30-plus points in a game. In addition to Cooper Campbell's 32-point outing against USC, Tayton Conerway scored 32 points against Arkansas State on Jan. 11 last season.
Saturday's game is a rematch of last Wednesday's game in Jonesboro, when Arkansas State bested Troy, 86-74. The Red Wolves led for 34 minutes of game time and led by as much as 20 points. Theo Seng scored a game-high 23 points for the Trojans.
The two teams met in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game last season, where Troy used a second-half surge to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Arkansas State (12-6, 4-2) most recently played on Thursday night, falling to South Alabama in overtime, 91-87.
Troy holds a 19-15 all-time record against Arkansas State.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala. - Trojan Arena (5,200)
The Matchup: Troy vs. Arkansas State
When: Saturday, January 17 – 3:33 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Lighting it Up
Over its last two games against Louisiana and Southern Miss, Troy has shot 53.1% from the field and 51.9% from three-point range, outscoring opponents 181-135. These performances rank as the third- and fifth-best shooting percentages from the field for the Trojans this season.
Attacking the Glass
Thomas Dowd is near the top of several statistics nationally. The Dothan native ranks 8th in total rebounds (183) and 16th in rebounds per game (10.2). Additionally, Dowd is one of nine players to be averaging at least 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Scouting Arkansas State
Arkansas State will play game two of a four-game road swing on Saturday when it comes to Trojan Arena. The Red Wolves fell to South Alabama on overtime on Thursday night, 91-87, snapping a two-game win streak. Matt Hayman leads Arkansas State in scoring this season, averaging 12.0 points. Jalen Hampton has pulled down 7.0 rebounds per contest. The Red Wolves hold a plus 6.8 rebounding margin over their opponents and are second in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game with 40.2. Arkansas State bested Troy on Jan. 7, 86-74. The Red Wolves shot 40% from three, with Christian Harmon scoring a team-high 18 points.
Up Next
Troy heads north to Norfolk for a game with Old Dominion next Wednesday, Jan. 21. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN+ and available to listen to on the Troy Sports Media Network.
Notables
- Troy leads the Sun Belt in scoring this season, averaging 86.2 points per game - 32nd nationally - and also ranks first in the conference in scoring margin at +9.9.
- The Trojans and Red Wolves rank one and two in the Sun Belt, respectively in both the NCAA Net rankings as well as KenPom. Troy is currently ranked 119 on KenPom, its highest rank since Nov. 24.
- Troy is averaging 18.5 points off turnovers this season, while opponents are scoring 13 points off Trojan turnovers per game. Troy scored 25 points off Southern Miss mishaps on Wednesday.
- Troy's 10.5 3-pointers per game ranks 28th in the nation and first in the Sun Belt this season.
- A multitude of Trojans have led the way offensively this season, with Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd pacing the scoring output at 15.8 and 15.3 points per game, respectively. Dowd has also added a Sun Belt leading 10.2 rebounds per contest, while Cooper Campbell is Troy's third leading scorer, averaging 13.3 points.
