Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Southern Miss
Top-Seeded Troy Faces No. 8 Southern Miss in Sun Belt Semifinals
3/7/2026 8:12:00 PM | Basketball (M)
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Troy men's basketball descends on Pensacola looking to defend its crown as it readies for the 2026 Sun Belt Championships. The Trojans will play their first game Sunday at 5 p.m. against No. 8 Southern Miss.
No. 1 seed Troy (21-10, 12-6 SBC) earned a bye to the semifinal round after clinching the outright Sun Belt regular-season title on Feb. 27 with an 80-65 victory over ULM. The Trojans entered the night tied for first with App State, Marshall and South Alabama and claimed their second-consecutive regular-season title as the other three teams tied for the lead all dropped their games.
The title celebration capped a regular season in which Troy won 20-plus games for the fifth consecutive year, the only team in the league to do so over that span. The Trojans are also the only team in the Sun Belt to win 10-plus conference games in each of the last five seasons.
Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and available to listen to on the Troy Sports Media Network.
The winner will face the winner of the second semifinal game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday, in Monday's 6 p.m. championship game for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Game Information
Location: Pensacola, Fla.
The Matchup: No. 1 Troy vs. No. 8 Southern Miss
When: Sunday, March 8– 5 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Troy Sports Media Network
Coach of the Year
Scott Cross was named the Joe Gottfried Coach of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference on March 2, his second time earning the honor and his first at Troy. Cross guided Troy to a 20-11 regular season, the fifth-straight season the Trojans have reached 20 wins. Troy also earned 10-plus conference wins for the fifth consecutive season, going 12-6 in Sun Belt play. Cross is Troy's second coach to win the award - Don Maestri earned it for his efforts during the 2008-09 season.
All-SBC Nods
Thomas Dowd and Victor Valdes were named to All-Sun Belt teams on March 2, both players first postseason honor. Dowd earned a first team selection after averaging 14.6 points and 10.1 rebounds; the only player in the conference to average a double-double. Valdes paced Troy with 15.0 points per game this season while averaging 4.5 assists per contest as well.
One from History
Victor Valdes has made 156 free throws this year, which puts him just one shy of setting Troy's all-time mark for free throws made in a season. Valdes has already tied Terry McCord's 156 makes during the 1992-93 season.
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss enters Sunday having already won three games in Pensacola. Following wins over James Madison and Texas State, the Golden Eagles took down App State on Saturday night. Troy and Southern Miss split the two team's meetings this year, with the home team winning both contests. The Golden Eagles get to the free throw line at a prolific rate, leading the Sun Belt and 28th in the nation in free throws attempted per game with 24.6. Tylik Weeks averages 19.6 points as the team's leading scorer, while Djahi Binet has been good for 10.3 and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Notables
- Scott Cross is in his seventh season at the helm of the Trojans, amassing a 123-98 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.
- Troy's regular season title marked the team's first outright regular-season Sun Belt title and its second-straight regular season crown.
- Just 80 minutes away from another title, Troy is looking to repeat as Sun Belt Champions for the first time since Georgia State won the 2018 and 2019 iterations of the tournament.
- Thomas Dowd is one of just nine players across college basketball this season to have amassed at least 450 points and 300 rebounds. Dowd has scored 452 points while pulling in 313 rebounds across 31 games.
- Dowd's 10.1 rebounds per game ranks 13th in the nation. Dowd is also near the top of leaderboards in overall rebounds with 313 (7th) and double-doubles with 16 (9th).
- Against ULM, Troy shot 50.0% from the field - its ninth time this season making at least half of its shots. The Trojans are 9-0 in those games. Thomas Dowd recorded his 16th double-double of the season in the win, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
- Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd have paced the scoring output at 15.0 and 14.6 points per game this season, respectively. Dowd has also added a Sun Belt-leading 10.1 rebounds per contest.
