Troy University Athletics
Troy University
ULM
Regular-Season Title on the Line as Troy Hosts ULM
2/26/2026 2:38:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – With one game remaining and a chance to repeat as Sun Belt regular-season champions, Troy men's basketball welcomes ULM to Trojan Arena on Friday night.
With a win, Troy would guarantee itself at least a share of the regular-season crown. The Trojans are currently tied atop the standings with App State, Marshall and South Alabama, with all four teams sitting at 11-6 in conference play.
Troy secured its 11th Sun Belt win of the season on Tuesday, defeating Louisiana 78-59. Despite a sluggish offensive start, the Trojans caught fire in the second half, scoring 51 points and shooting 65.4% (17-of-26) over the final 20 minutes.
Jerrell Bellamy made his fourth straight start in place of Theo Seng, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Bellamy delivered a career performance Tuesday, scoring a career-high 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
ULM (4-26, 1-16 SBC) fell to South Alabama on Wednesday night, 89-54. Krystian Lewis led the Warhawks with 20 points in the loss.
Troy is 19-11 all-time against ULM.
Game Information
Location: Troy, Ala.
The Matchup: Troy vs. ULM
When: Friday, February 27 – 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Dominance on the Boards
Thomas Dowd's 10.1 rebounds per game ranks 12th in the nation. Dowd also is near the top of leaderboards in overall rebounds with 302 (7th) and double-doubles with 15 (10th).
Chasing History
Victor Valdes has made 154 free throws this year, which is just three makes shy of setting Troy's all-time mark for free throws made in a season. Terry McCord made 156 during the 1992-93 season.
For the Third Time
A win on Friday would give Troy its third Sun Belt regular season championship. In addition to last season, the Trojans won the conference in the 2009-10 season.
Scouting ULM
ULM lost its sixth straight game on Wednesday night, falling to South Alabama, 89-54. The Warhawks will enter the Sun Belt Tournament next week as the No. 14 seed, playing on Tuesday, March 3 against the No. 11 seed. Krystian Kewis leads ULM in scoring with 18.4 points per game, followed by MJ Russell who has contributed 15.3 a contest. The Warhawks have been able to get to the free throw line this season, ranking fourth in the Sun Belt and 96th in the country in free throw attempts per game.
Up Next
Troy will turn its attention to the Sun Belt Championships, taking place from March 3-9 in Pensacola, Fla. Fans can purchase tickets via Ticketmaster and the Pensacola Bay Center box office, with prices starting at $5 for children and $15 for adults.
Notables
- Scott Cross is in his seventh season at the helm of the Trojans, amassing a 122-98 record during his time at Troy. Over the last four seasons, Troy has won 20-plus games every year, which includes 10-plus Sun Belt wins each season.
- With a win on Friday, Troy would repeat as conference regular-season champion for the first time since capturing three straight Atlantic Sun regular-season titles from 2001-02 through 2003-04.
- Troy and ULM met just nine days ago on Feb. 18 in Monroe. In a back-and-forth contest, Kerrington Kiel delivered the game-winning basket with under 10 seconds remaining to give the Trojans a 77-76 victory.
- Following Friday, Troy will turn its attention to the Sun Belt Championship, set for March 3–9 in Pensacola. The Trojans aim to defend their title and become the first back-to-back tournament champions since Georgia State won the 2018 and 2019 championships.
- Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd have paced the scoring output at 15.0 and 14.3 points per game this season, respectively. Dowd has also added a Sun Belt-leading 10.1 rebounds per contest.
