Troy University Athletics
Troy University
NC State
11/12/2026 11:38:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Following its first win of the season Tuesday night, Troy men's basketball heads to North Carolina for a one-off road matchup against NC State on Friday. Tipoff from the Lenovo Center is set for 6 p.m. CT.
In its last time out, Troy (1-2) erased a 15-point second-half deficit to defeat LMU in overtime. The Trojans shot 51.6% (16-of-31) from the field in the second half and overtime while outscoring the Lions 39-19 over the final 14:49 of regulation.
Four Trojans scored in double figures, led by Jacoi Hutchinson's game-high 18 points. Donovan Oday recorded his second double-double of the young season, while Cauã Pacheco scored 17 points off the bench, including the game-tying basket at the end of regulation.
NC State (3-0) enters Friday with its fourth consecutive home game to open the season. The Wolfpack defeated Presbyterian on Tuesday night, 94-60.
The Trojans and Wolfpack will meet for the first time in program history.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy vs. NC State
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
When: Friday, November 13 – 6 p.m. CT
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Scouting NC State
NC State enters Friday night with a 3-0 record, most recently defeating Presbyterian, 94-60 on Tuesday. The Wolfpack has featured a balanced scoring attack in the early goings, with no players averaging double figures. Ven-Allen Lubin has paced the team with 8.3 points per game. NC State ranks 42nd in the country in three pointers per game with 11.3, while its 40% rate from beyond the arc checks in at 49th in the nation. Head coach Justin Gainey is in his first season as head coach after spending the last four years as associate head coach at Tennessee.
First of Many
Troy's win over LMU marked the first of Adam Howard's head coaching career. Howard, who returns to NC State on Friday after serving as an assistant coach last season, became the third-fastest head coach in program history to earn his first victory.
Comeback to Remember
Troy's 15-point comeback on Tuesday marked its first comeback from a deficit of 15 or more points since Dec. 31, 2017, when the Trojans defeated Georgia State, 68-66. Troy led for just 5:43 of game time against LMU, with the majority of that time coming in overtime.
Notables
- Hired on March 29 as the eighth head coach in Troy men's basketball history, Adam Howard brings 16 years of coaching experience to the program.
- Donovan Oday is one of just 33 players nationally with multiple double-doubles this season. He opened the year with 21 points and 12 rebounds against UMass.
- The Troy bench has been a major factor to open the season, contributing 31 points in Tuesday night's win over LMU. Cauã Pacheco led the way with 17 points, while Sam Walters scored in double figures for the second consecutive game.
- Troy's 44 rebounds against LMU were its most rebounds in a game since Dec. 1 of last season, when it hauled in 52 boards in a double overtime loss. Donovan Oday led Troy with 10 rebounds in Tuesday's win.
- Troy's game against LMU was its first overtime game of the season. The Trojans played in five overtime contests last year and have played in 11 over the last five seasons, going 5-6 in those games.
- Troy is coming off its second consecutive Sun Belt Tournament Championship, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Trojans also claimed the outright Sun Belt regular-season title in 2025-26, marking their second consecutive regular-season championship.
- The Trojans have won at least 20 games overall and 10 Sun Belt games in each of the last five seasons, making them the only team in the conference to do so.
