Men’s basketball season comes to an end in NCAA Tournament

Postseason basketball gets underway

Troy Athletics photo

The Troy men’s basketball team gathers on the court.

Troy men’s basketball fell to Kentucky 76-57 in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017.

Coming into the game as a double-digit underdog, the Trojans had hopes of shocking the world as a No. 14 seed against the three-seeded Wildcats. Unfortunately, Cinderella’s glass slipper did not fit the foot of a Trojan.

The game took place at the Fiserv Forum, home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. A recorded attendance of 17,865 packed into the arena. With the game airing on CBS, millions of people were witnessing Troy Trojans basketball for the first time.

Troy came out swinging with a Marcus Rigsby Jr. 3-pointer to open the game. The Trojans clashed with Kentucky for the majority of the first half. With 7:35 left, it was all knotted up at 19 points each. A late run for Kentucky did have Troy facing a 35-27 deficit heading into the locker room.

The Wildcats would build their lead to double digits, but a run for Troy cut it to just six points at 45-39. A huge run for big blue nation led to Troy going into the next break suddenly down 61-39. Seven points from Myles Rigsby helped give the Trojans some life, making it 61-48, but it would not be enough. Kentucky held on to comfortably win it 76-57.

“It was disappointing to lose the basketball game, but I’m so thankful for our guys and what they’ve done this season,” said head coach Scott Cross. “It’s been 17 years since I’ve been to the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t take that for granted at all.”

Standout performances from Myles Rigsby and Tayton Conerway certainly kept people tuned in. Rigsby led the Trojans with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Conerway had 12 points and four boards.

It was a rough night for Thomas Dowd, who was unable to score off seven shots, but he found other ways to contribute. The sophomore recorded 11 rebounds and three steals, the most on the team in both categories.

Although the Wildcats were efficient in the paint, scoring 34 down the lane, Troy managed to limit second chances, and even outrebounded Kentucky offensively, with 11 boards off its own misses.

Kentucky had a strong night beyond the arc, shooting 38.6% from three. Andrew Carr benefited from this, making two from distance and scoring 13 points. Otega Oweh was able to carve through the Trojans defense. The junior scored 20 points and eight rebounds.

The loss now makes Troy 0-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament matchups. The season comes to an end, but will no doubt be in the minds of Trojan fans for years to come.

Troy’s 23 wins marks the most for the program in a single season since Don Maestri’s 2002-03 team had 26. That team was the first to make a tournament appearance for Troy and won the Atlantic Sun title.

This team is the fourth in a row for Scott Cross to reach 20-plus wins in a season. It also is just the second time Troy has made a postseason tournament of any kind since the arrival of Scott Cross. The Trojans played in the CBI in 2022.

Troy had not won a conference tournament since 2017, and the team had not won a share of the regular season conference title since 2010. Troy hadn’t won both in the same year since that same Maestri led team in ‘03.

The season ends with a 23-11 record and two pieces of hardware for the Trojans. While roster turnover may be currently unknown, Cross will prepare for a potential reload as he and the Trojans men’s basketball team set their sights on defending the conference title and returning to the big dance in the 2025-26 season.