On March 10th, Troy's men's basketball team dominated Georgia Southern to win the Sunbelt Conference Tournament Championship for the second year in a row. The Trojans took a 77-61 victory on March 9th at the Pensacola Bay Center, securing their spot in the NCAA tournament once. Again, junior Thomas Dowd led the charge with 23 points and 13 rebounds, earning him most outstanding player honors. Four Trojans finished in double figures, including Jarrell Bellamy with 15 points, Victor Vaudes with 12 points and 6 assists, and Colby, Campbell with 11 points.
Troy shot 59% from the field, far better than Georgia Southern's 40% and owned the ping with a 50-22 scoring. Edgewalk grabbing 35 rebounds to the Eagles 18. Coach Scott Cross caught at the most funny's head. Coaching, praising his players toughness and defense that shut down Georgia Southern's hot.
Tournament streak. The Eagles, who average 88 points per game and prior wins, only led briefly early on before Troy pulled ahead and stayed there. Despite losing four starters from last year, Troy relied on Dowd as the lone returning starter and bigger roles from others like Bellamy and Vaudes. Who credited the coaches belief in them?
The team showed great continuity with 11 returners amid all the player movement in college hoops. Now Troy heads into March Madness as likely 14 or 15 seeds, much like last year when they faced Kentucky. Coach Cross likes their underdog fire, size and side, and ball movement, setting them up to scrap in surprise.