38 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAPSU Basketball hosts Troy, Tuesday

APSU Basketball hosts Troy, Tuesday

Austin Peay vs. Troy

Tuesday, December 18th, 2017 | 7:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | APSU Dunn Center
APSU Men's BasketballClarksville, TN – After finishing a difficult non-conference road slate, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball returns to the Dunn Center for an extended stay, beginning with a 7:00pm, Tuesday, contest against Troy.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball plays Troy at the Dunn Center Tuesday night. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball plays Troy at the Dunn Center Tuesday night. (APSU Sports Information)

This will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Austin Peay currently unbeaten against the Trojans.

The Govs are 37-17 all-time against Sun Belt foes, with a winning record against Troy, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Arkansas State and Little Rock.

The Govs continue to be among the nation’s best on the defensive end of the floor. Austin Peay has forced 20.2 turnovers per game (sixth nationally), securing 9.5 steals (15th) and limited opponents to 68.5 points per night (99th); that bodes well against a Troy team with a turnover margin (+0.1) barely in the positive and ranked 240th nationally at 5.8 steals per game.

About the Troy Trojans

The defending Sun Belt Tournament champions, Troy emerged from a sixth-place regular season finish last season to race past Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Texas State to secure their second tournament title since joining the Sun Belt in 2005.

Back from last season’s 22-win team are guard Wesley Person (Troy’s all-time leader in three-point field goals) and forward Jordon Varnado (currently out with a foot injury), while Alex Hicks has filled in for the injured Varnado, scoring 16 and adding 10 boards against Arkansas, Saturday.

Led by Person, who ranks fifth in the NCAA in three-pointers per game (3.91) and total threes (43), the Trojans shoot from deep early and often. Troy hits 10.1 three-pointers per game (34th) and has taken 307 total attempts from beyond the arc (28th), but aren’t necessarily adroit in their attempts. Troy’s 36.2 percent mark from downtown ranks just 141st nationally.

Last Time Out Against Troy

Chris Horton (21 points, 13 rebounds) led four Govs in double figures as Austin Peay held off a late Troy charge that saw the Trojans get within three points with less than 12 minutes left. The Govs outscored Troy 29-23 over the final 11:10 of regulation to put the game away, making 12-of-14 at the line during the final 2:50 of regulation.

Keep An Eye On

Tuesday’s contest kicks off a six-game homestand for the Govs, Austin Peay’s longest since the 2004-05 season. It also will usher in the conference slate, with the first four OVC games at the Dunn as well.

A win would push the Govs to 4-0 all-time against Troy and give them three straight wins against SBC foes.

Since the Virginia contest, Austin Peay now has a +49 turnover differential. The Govs tied their season-low with 11 turnovers against Evansville.

Freshman Terry Taylor—the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week after his 30-point outburst at Evansville—remains the league-leader in offensive rebounds per game (4.1) and the leader among freshmen as of December 17th.

Follow APSU Govs Online

Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay’s Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor athletics, as well as the Governor men’s basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayMBB). Live stats will be available during the game at PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com

Postgame video interviews and other videos from around APSU Athletics can be found on our YouTube page (www.youtube.com/letsgopeay)

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles