San Diego State University resumes play against Troy University on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will take place at Viejas Arena and will be broadcasted live on KUSI-TV, with streaming available on the Mountain West Network and coverage on 760 AM radio.
Current Records and Series History
San Diego State Aztecs stand at 2-0 for the season, while the Troy Trojans hold a 3-2 record. The series between these teams is evenly matched, with both teams having one victory each. Troy won a close game in 2003 with a score of 93-84, whereas SDSU earned their victory in 2022 with a score of 60-55, both games hosted at Viejas Arena.
Troy Trojans Overview
Troy is currently on a challenging road trip, being midway through four games in Southern California within just six days. After starting the season strong, the Trojans have faced two losses in their last outings, falling to Loyola Marymount 74-63 and to CSUN 94-85.
For the upcoming matchup, Kenpom predicts the Trojans will be 17-point underdogs. Their head coach, Scott Cross, typically employs a tight player rotation, allowing his starters to play over 30 minutes per game. Troy’s scoring average is impressive at 87.2 points per game, with nearly half of their shots taken from beyond the three-point arc.
Key Players
- Cooper Campbell – 15.8 points per game
- Victor Valdes – 15.2 points per game
- Thomas Dowd – 14.2 points per game
- Cobi Campbell – 11.0 points per game
- Theo Seng – 11.0 points per game
Founded as Troy State, the university, located in Troy, Alabama, was renamed in 2005. The Trojans were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt preseason coaches’ poll and currently sit at No. 136 in the Kenpom rankings. Last season, they concluded with a 23-11 record and were a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they faced a loss against Kentucky.
San Diego State Aztecs Update
The Aztecs will participate in their annual Nike N7 game, showcasing special turquoise uniforms to support Native American communities. The game against Troy serves as a vital preparation before the team faces a challenging schedule, including three key games at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, starting with a match against No. 7 Michigan.
Following a lengthy nine-day break since their last game, the Aztecs are the only Division I team that has played only twice this season. Coach Brian Dutcher utilized this extended timeframe to introduce new strategies both offensively and defensively. Notably, Magoon Gwath is expected to return nearly seven months after knee surgery, adding depth to the roster.
Injury Report
- Magoon Gwath: expected return
- Miles Byrd: recent sprain but back in practice
Defensively, San Diego State excels, ranking ninth nationally with an average of 20 forced turnovers per game. Coach Dutcher acknowledges the challenge posed by Troy’s three-point shooting capability, emphasizing the importance of defensive strategy in limiting their success from long range.
Next, the Aztecs will face a significant test against Michigan on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, aired on truTV.
