On March 19th, Troy University's men's basketball team is back in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, ending a long drought since their fruit, last appearance before 2017. The Trojans finished 22 wins and 11 losses this season, capturing the Sunbelt Conference title for the automatic bid. The school sits in Troy, Alabama, a public university founded in 1887 with around 14,000 students. It stresses both academics and athletics, though it's better known for football success than basketball.
Fans remember Troy's slim tournament history since joining Division I in 2003, with just four trips and then zero and three records so far. They fell to Xavier, Duke, and Kentucky in those first rounds, all against big basketball names. This time, as the 13th seed, they face fourth seed in Nebraska on Friday, a matchup against the program without that same powerhouse reputation on, the court. Troy hopes to finally grab a tournament win.
Meanwhile, the Sunbelt keeps surprising everyone by sending competitive teams to March Madness year after year, and Troy looks ready to shake up the bracket.