On March 15th, Troy's men's basketball team is heading to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time ever. The 13-seeded Trojans earned their spot by winning the Sun Belt Conference title last Monday. They'll face the fourth-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday in Oklahoma City at the Paycom Center. The Trojans wrapped up the conference tournament with a solid 77-61 victory over Georgia Southern.
They held the Eagles to under 40% shooting from the field. Thomas Dowd led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, earning him tournament's most outstanding player honors. Troy boasts one of the top rebounding attacks in the country, pulling down 38.3 boards per game. Dowd anchors the frontcourt with averages of 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds.
Victor Valdez chips in matching scoring at 14.8 points per contest. This March, Troy's second year in a row, dancing in March Madness after a first-round loss to Kentucky last season. Head coach Scott Cross is making his third NCAA appearance overall and second at Troy. He's guided the team to five straight seasons of at least 20 wins and 10 conference victories.
Game times for the opening round get announced after Sunday night's election show, with ticket details coming soon. Troy fans are gearing up for another exciting run.