Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Florida State
11/5/2026 10:45:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Troy men's basketball hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Tallahassee to take on Florida State on Friday evening. Tipoff from the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Troy (0-1) opened the season Monday night with a 71-60 loss to UMass. The Trojans struggled from the field, shooting 34.4 percent (22-of-64). Troy built a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but an extended 32-1 run by UMass proved too much to overcome.
Donovan Oday led the Trojans with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double. He also recorded six steals in his Trojan debut.
Florida State (1-0) opened its season with a 113-69 victory over Florida A&M. Sebastian Rancik led the Seminoles with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Troy is 1-4 all-time against Florida State.
Game Information
The Matchup: Troy vs. Florida State
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
When: Friday, November 6 – 6 p.m. CT
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Double-Double Debut
Donovan Oday made noise in his Trojan debut, recording a double-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six steals. He became the first Trojan since at least 2005 to record a double-double with six or more steals. Oday also played a team-high 36 minutes in the loss. He also became the first Trojan since Richard Chaney against Auburn in 2006 to record a double-double in his Troy debut.
Scouting Florida State
Florida State opened its season on Monday evening, defeating Florida A&M, 113-69. The Seminoles shot 54.9% from the field and were led by Sebastian Rancik, who finished with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Luke Loucks is in his second season leading the program, which finished the 2025-26 campaign with an 18-15 overall record and a 10-8 mark in ACC play, good for a tie for seventh in the conference. Florida State was selected to finish seventh in this year's ACC preseason poll, its highest preseason selection since 2022.
Notables
- Hired on March 29 as the eighth head coach in Troy men's basketball history, Adam Howard is in his first year at the helm, bringing 16 years of coaching experience to the program. Howard most recently served at NC State under Will Wade and Nebraska under Fred Hoiberg.
- Just three players return from last season's team, as Howard and his staff brought in 12 newcomers over the summer. Notable additions include Longwood transfer and 2026 All-Sun Belt Third Team selection Jacoi Hutchinson, Northern Kentucky transfer Donovan Oday, and Brazilian additions Cauã Pacheco and Afonso Pacheco.
- Troy and Florida State are playing for the first time since the 2022-23 season, when Troy took down the Seminoles, 79-72. Aamer Muhammed and Christyon Eugene scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, as the Trojans earned their third all-time game against an ACC opponent.
- 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 accomplish both feats during that span.
- Troy was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, released Oct. 19. Additionally, Jacoi Hutchinson landed a spot on the All-Sun Belt Third Team.
- Troy entered the season as one of five teams nationally to win both its conference regular-season and tournament titles in each of the last two years, joining Duke (ACC), High Point (Big South), St. John's (Big East), and VCU (A-10).
