A Legacy on the Hardwood: Exploring Troy University Basketball History
The Troy Trojans men's basketball program represents Troy University in intercollegiate athletics. As a member of NCAA Division I, the team competes in the Sun Belt Conference, showcasing their talent and determination on the court. From their early days in Division II to their current status, the Trojans have built a noteworthy basketball legacy.
From Sartain Hall to Trojan Arena: A Home Court Evolution
The Trojans currently play their home games in the modern Trojan Arena, a facility that opened in 2012. This replaced the older Sartain Hall, which served as the team's home court for many years. Sartain Hall, a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena, was built in 1962 as a new Physical Education Building. Before Sartain Hall, the university lacked an adequate gymnasium. The college administration at the time had the foresight to make it available for high school basketball tournaments as well as college games and tournaments. The building is named in honor of the late Professor Auxford Sartain. In 2012, Sartain Hall was no longer used for basketball activities since the newly built Trojan Arena had opened.
Trojan Arena is a 6,000-seat arena that is home to the Troy men's and women's basketball, volleyball and track programs. The arena is also used for the university's commencement ceremonies and special events. Trojan Arena seating features 5,200 chair-back seats, seven upper-level suites and an exclusive Stadium Club area for donors, while also having floor seating for students. The arena features an LED ribbon board that circles around the entire arena, one of only two of its kind in the Sun Belt Conference. Under the main playing court sits a 10,000 sq ft area of basketball practice courts. The inaugural game at the newly built Trojan Arena during the 2012 season saw a record crowd of 5,120 as Troy hosted Mississippi State, who were coming off of a 20-win season and an NIT appearance.
Early Division I Success and NCAA Tournament Berth
Troy State began their first season in Division I in 1994, the program came in with a bang, ranking no. 2 in the nation in three-pointers attempted and no. 5 in the nation in three-pointers made. Maestri and his Trojan teams never looked back from there. From 1994 to 2006, the Trojans finished no. 1 in the nation four times in three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made. Troy State also placed in the top five nationally of those same statistical categories eight times from 1994 to 2008.
The Trojans made their first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearance in 2003 as a 14-seed after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. They faced 3-seeded Xavier in the first round, losing 71-59. In 2004, the Trojans were the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season champions. They reached the Atlantic Sun tournament championship game, only to lose a heart-breaker in the last minute to UCF, 60-55. As regular-season champions, Troy earned an automatic bid to the NIT, where they would face Niagara in Buffalo, New York. Troy would lose to Niagara in the first round, 87-83. They finished with a 24-7 overall record.
Read also: Troy University Admission GPA
Navigating the Sun Belt Conference
From 2005 to 2008, Troy struggled to find the success that they had enjoyed in the Atlantic Sun Conference. In 2009, after finishing in third place in the Sun Belt Conference, the Trojans would make their first post-season appearance since 2004, in the first annual CBI Tournament, where they would host the College of Charleston, only to lose in a thriller, 93-91. In 2010, Troy won their first ever Sun Belt regular-season title and made it to the Finals of Sun Belt Conference tournament before losing in the last 30 seconds to North Texas, 66-63. The Trojans received an invite to the NIT, where they would fall to Ole Miss in the first round, 84-65.
In 2017, under head coach Phil Cunningham, Troy made their way back to the NCAA tournament by winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament, defeating Texas State, 59-53. The team earned a 15 seed, playing no. 2 seed Duke in the first round. Duke defeated Troy, 87-65.
Dominance in Division II and a Record-Breaking Game
Before Troy's accession to Division I, Troy was one of the most successful basketball teams in Division II. In 1988, the team made it to the Elite Eight of the Division II tournament before falling to Alaska-Anchorage, 77-72. One of Troy's claims to fame, however, is their game against DeVry (when DeVry had athletics) on January 12, 1992, when the Trojans came out victorious by the NCAA-record score of 253-141.
On January 12, 1992, Troy State shattered a plethora of records during a match-up against the DeVry University Hoyas of the NAIA. The Trojans sported a 12-3 record while the DeVry Hoyas had a 3-15 record. After tip-off, Troy State scored their first basket after 54 seconds. When the final buzzer sounded, Troy State had won the game by a record-breaking score of 258-141. The game between Troy State and DeVry remains the highest single scoring game in NCAA history. Troy has won a total of 14 combined conference regular season and tournament titles.
Under head coach Don Maestri, Troy State led the nation in three-point shots attempted and three-point shots made for many years during the program's time in NCAA Division II. Maestri's run-and-gun style of play was very effective, even after Troy State transitioned to Division I.
Read also: Job Openings at Troy, Alabama University
NCAA Tournament and Postseason History
The Trojans have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament three times.The Trojans have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times.The Trojans have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) two times.The Trojans have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament five times.The Trojans have appeared in the NAIA Tournament three times.
Troy has only made the NCAA Tournament three times before since moving up in 2003.
- 2003No. 14First Round: vs. No. 3 Xavier (L, 71-59)
- 2017No. 15First Round: vs. No. 2 Duke (L, 87-65)
- 2025No. 14First Round: vs. No. 3 Kentucky (TBD)
Troy has a rich basketball history, but most of its success came at lower levels of competition. Troy is 0-2 in its two March Madness appearances to date. They lost to Xavier in 2003 and then to Duke in 2017. Fate would have it, all three of their NCAA Tournament opponents, including Kentucky coming up, are seen as basketball schools and varying levels of traditional power.
Rivalries
Troy vs. Currently, one of Troy's biggest rivals in basketball is with in-state foe South Alabama.Troy vs. Troy and Georgia State have met off and on since 1952. They began to play each other regularly when both programs were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference in the late 1990s, and again when Georgia State joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013. Both programs have ties because of Charles "Lefty" Driesell, who was head coach of Georgia State from 1997 to 2003. Troy's former head coach, Phil Cunningham, was an assistant under Driesell during his time at Georgia State and James Madison.Now a dormant rivalry, Troy and UCF were once conference rivals and were considered the prominent rivalry during both school's tenure in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Both basketball programs routinely fought for the conference regular season and tournament titles before they both left the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2005.
The Current Era
The Troy men’s basketball team is heading to the 2025 NCAA Tournament after winning the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans are 23-10 this season and on a six-game winning streak. Troy has not won a game in the Division 1 NCAA Tournament. After going 9-22 in his first year in 2019-20 and 11-17 the next season, Cross has led Troy to four straight 20-win seasons. Cross was the head coach at UT Arlington from 2006 to 2018, leading the Mavericks to the Sun Belt Conference championship game in 2018. Cross was fired after that season as UTA athletic director Jim Baker cited a need for new leadership in the program.
Read also: A Guide to Troy University Scholarships
tags: #troy #state #university #basketball #history
