Troy basketball teams deal with highs, lows midway through season

 Midway through the season, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have shown promise as well as room for improvement.

The Trojans’ men’s team (5-10, 0-4 Sun Belt) has come up short against some impressive competition. On the other hand, the Lady Trojans (8-5, 3-1 Sun Belt) have impressed since the beginning of the season and sit among the top of the Sun Belt.

The men’s squad averages 76.1 points per game, while their opponents average 77.1. That small margin shows how close the team has been to putting wins under their belt. One of those 10 losses came from their matchup with Ole Miss.

However impressive the losses might be, the Trojans have simply been outperformed. The Trojans fall behind their opponents’ average in field goals, three pointers and rebounds—averaging 37.7 per game while their opponents average 39.1.

The men’s team falls behind in turnovers 191-206 for the first half of the season. The Trojans do lead their opposition in steals per game with 7.9 to 6.8.

In the second period, the Trojans are outscoring their opponents 617-599. That is not enough to overcome being outgained 536-511 in the first period, however.

Sophomore Wesley Person of Brantley leads the Trojans in scoring with 17.7 points per game. Freshman Jordon Varnado of Brownsville, Tennessee, is second with 16.5.

The stats the Lady Trojans have posted thus far tell a different tale. They have a better points-per-game average, 85.2, than their opponents, 79.5.

The Lady Trojans also dominate in both field goals made and three-pointers. They fall short of their opposition in rebounds, assists and turnovers. Despite those shortcomings, they have outscored their opponents in every period.

The Lady Trojans have an impressive home record of 4-1, with three of those wins coming in out-of-conference play.