Troy University’s men’s basketball team will host the Akron Zips on Saturday evening in a nationally televised game as part of the MAC–SBC Challenge. The matchup, set for 5 p.m. CT at Trojan Arena, will air on ESPN2.
The Trojans, holding a 16-8 overall record and leading the Sun Belt Conference with a 9-3 mark, recently secured their ninth conference win by defeating Georgia State 74-63 in Atlanta. In that game, Thomas Dowd led Troy with 16 points and 15 rebounds—his fourth contest this season with at least 15 boards. Victor Valdes contributed 12 points and nine assists, while Cobi Campbell added 15 points, making five three-pointers.
Akron enters the contest with a 19-4 record and sits second in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at 10-1. The Zips are on a nine-game winning streak after narrowly beating Eastern Michigan 66-64. Despite that being their lowest scoring output of the season, Akron averages over 90 points per game and ranks among the top ten nationally in scoring offense.
Saturday’s meeting is the first between Troy and Akron. Both teams are near the top of their respective conferences; Troy holds a slim lead in the Sun Belt standings while Akron trails Miami (OH) by one game in the MAC.
According to KenPom rankings, Troy is rated first in its conference at No. 143 overall, while Akron leads its league at No. 52.
Troy leads several statistical categories within the Sun Belt Conference: they have an average scoring margin of +8.1, score an average of 83.3 points per game, and maintain an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39.
Victor Valdes is currently fourth in free throws made (121) and third in attempts (160) within the Sun Belt this season; last year’s school record for free throws made was set at 142 by Myles Rigsby.
Thomas Dowd stands out nationally as well—he ranks fifth across Division I basketball for total rebounds (253) and ninth for rebounds per game (10.5).
For Akron, Tavari Johnson leads his team with an average of 20.1 points per game while shooting over 38 percent from three-point range; Amani Lyles (14.7 ppg) and Shammah Scott (12.7 ppg) also contribute double-digit scoring averages.
“Scott Cross is in his seventh season at the helm of the Trojans, amassing a 119-95 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.”
“Saturday’s game marks the second round of this season’s MAC–SBC Challenge, with the first occurring on the opening night of the season on Nov. 3. Troy traveled to Kent State, where it took down the Golden Flashes, 103–97, in overtime. Overall, the Sun Belt won four of the thirteen road contests that night, with thirteen home games set for the conference on Saturday.”
“Cooper Campbell boasts the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Sun Belt at 2.9, which also ranks forty-third nationally. Additionally, Campbell ranks second in the league in assists per game at four point eight.”
“Following Saturday, Troy will begin a four-game road stretch. The Trojans will take on Texas State (Feb.11), Southern Miss (Feb.14), ULM (Feb.18), and South Alabama (Feb.21) to wrap up their road schedule.”
“Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd have paced the scoring output at fifteen point eight and fourteen point nine points per game this season respectively. Dowd has also added a Sun Belt-leading ten point five rebounds per contest while Theo Seng is Troy’s third-leading scorer.”
