Coaching Career of Scott Price

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Troy could never pull away from Vermont at home, and needed two extra periods to pull off the close win. Gerald Griffin fouled out early, but the other starters had to play most of the game, and each scored in double figures. The Trojans played great interior defense, only allowing 8 points in the paint, but Vermont's hot three-point and free throw shooting kept them in the game. Luke Linton was the biggest star, as he scored a career high 24 points in the double overtime victory.

Sun Belt scores:
Georgia State 69 @ Rhode Island 90
Youngstown State 73 @ South Alabama 64
UT-Arlington 63 @ LSU 84
Coastal Carolina 57 @ Michigan 82
Little Rock 68 @ Washington State 78
Wofford 80 @ UL-Lafayette 100

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Limiting turnovers has been a strength of Troy all year, but that wasn't the case against Monmouth as the Trojans turned the ball over 19 times, with 8 by the starting point guard, Luke Linton. Rob Stone has been playing very well of late, but he was limited in the first half due to foul trouble.

Arkansas State 68 @ Iowa State 84
Texas State 69 @ MD Eastern Shore 96
Abilene Christian 52 @ UL-Monroe 87
Maine 55 @ Georgia State 71
UC Santa Barbara 57 @ Georgia Southern 69
Coastal Carolina 65 @ Ball State 79
Arkansas State 54 @ Oregon State 58
Samford 53 @ Little Rock 75

[grahoben]

Troy led the entire game returning home against Eastern Illinois, which allowed for the bench to get more playing time than usual. Guthridge has been playing more with Corey Best injured, and he stepped up with a huge 15-points game. Rob Stone bounced back after being shut down against Monmouth, scoring a game-high 21 points.

Sun Belt scores:
UL-Lafayette 80 @ Florida A&M 83
Mount St. Mary's 53 @ Texas State 63
UL-Monroe 68 @ Central Arkansas 82
Stephen F. Austin 84 @ South Alabama 79
Hawaii 58 @ Arkansas State 66
Hampton 72 @ UL-Monroe 55
Evansville 66 @ South Alabama 76
Texas State 53 @ Miami FL 75
UT-Arlington 54 @ NC State 83
Coastal Carolina 67 @ Baylor 77
Georgia State 52 @ USC 66

Nonconference tournament update:
Syracuse wins the Emerald Coast Classic, defeating Texas Tech in the championship
La Salle wins the Wooden Legacy, defeating Virginia Tech in the championship

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#23 Villanova was too much for Troy, as despite a solid effort from the Trojans, it wasn't nearly enough to keep the game close. The Wildcats locked down Troy on defense, allowing just Troy to shoot just 35% from the floor. Troy also got very little production out of the bench, with just 10 points coming from outside the starting lineup.

Sun Belt scores:
Georgia Southern 55 @ Rider 73
Coppin State 68 @ Little Rock 56
North Carolina A&T 71 @ UL-Lafayette 84
Howard 55 @ Appalachian State 58
Maine 60 @ UT-Arlington 73
Oakland 59 @ Texas State 72
Appalachian State 57 @ Eastern Kentucky 80
UL-Lafayette 81 @ #24 Mississippi State 87
UL-Monroe 67 @ Harvard 69
Brown 59 @ Georgia State 72
Texas State 67 @ St. Bonaventure 81
Georgia State 68 @ #1 Florida 83
Grambling 59 @ UL-Monroe 77
Georgia Southern 58 @ DePaul 72
Bowling Green 61 @ Coastal Carolina 77
UL-Lafayette 60 @ #11 Indiana 83
South Alabama 56 @ Columbia 74
South Dakota 72 @ Little Rock 92

Nonconference Tournament update:
Minnesota wins the Cancun Challenge, defeating Nevada in the championship
Georgia Tech wins the Las Vegas Invitational, defeating Mississippi State in the championship

[grahoben]

Troy's trip to the west coast was a success, as all five starters scored in double figures in the 13-point win. Three point shooting was a huge advantage, as the Trojans shot a sizzling 47% from deep, with three players hitting multiple threes. Troy also rebounded the ball well, as Danny Thomas and Gerald Griffin each grabbed double digit rebounds.

Sun Belt scores:
St. Francis NY 64 @ Appalachian State 75
Arkansas State 69 @ New Orleans 58
UT-Arlington 52 @ #12 Gonzaga 79
UL-Lafayette 69 @ Tennessee Tech 76
Cornell 64 @ Georgia State 72
Yale 67 @ UT-Arlington 59
South Dakota 72 @ Appalachian State 80
Texas State 53 @ Stanford 83
Little Rock 73 @ Portland 90
Georgia Southern 56 @ Howard 72
St. Francis PA 75 @ South Alabama 81
Texas State 67 @ Maine 54
Georgia Southern 57 @ Detroit Mercy 72
Little Rock 74 @ Alabama State 68
UL-Monroe 59 @ Southern 66
Wright State 57 @ Coastal Carolina 75
Georgia State 67 @ Dartmouth 52
Yale 71 @ Arkansas State 60
Utah State 70 @ South Alabama 49
Fairleigh Dickinson 107 @ Appalachian State 115 (2OT)
UT-Arlington 69 @ Incarnate Word 71
Georgia Southern 63 @ Yale 80
Georgia State 76 @ Oregon State 87
Little Rock 53 @ BYU 65
Abilene Christian 71 @ UT-Arlington 86

Sun Belt Non-Conference Results (RPI):
Troy 8-3 (52)
Texas State 6-5 (75)
Appalachian State 6-5 (201)
Coastal Carolina 6-5 (202)
UL-Lafayette 5-6 (154)
Georgia State 4-7 (167)
Little Rock 4-7 (307)
UL-Monroe 4-7 (323)
South Alabama 4-7 (343)
UT-Arlington 4-8 (312)
Arkansas State 3-8 (219)
Georgia Southern 3-8 (222)

Nonconference Tournament results:
West Virginia wins the JAG Holiday Invitational, defeating Miami FL in the championship
Saint Louis wins the Diamond Head Classic, defeating Wisconsin in the championship

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AP Poll:
1. Florida (14-0)
2. Clemson (13-0)
3. Kentucky (11-2)
4. Michigan State (10-3)
5. Syracuse (12-1)
6. Arkansas (13-0)
7. Memphis (13-1)
8. Saint Mary's (14-1)
9. Texas A&M (11-2)
10. Gonzaga (11-3)
11. Oregon (12-2)
12. Kansas (8-5)
13. Indiana (11-1)
14. North Carolina (10-2)
15. Georgetown (10-1)
16. Texas Tech (11-2)
17. Louisville (8-4)
18. Mississippi State (12-1)
19. Tennessee (10-3)
20. Wichita State (10-2)
21. Maryland (9-3)
22. Villanova (8-4)
23. Cincinnati (9-3)
24. Wisconsin (8-4)
25. Georgia Tech (11-2)

[grahoben]

Troy struggled offensively in the conference opener, getting held to 60 points on just 13 assists. Linton and Haslem shot the ball very poorly from the field, and this was a problem as the Trojans were also outscored in the paint. Troy played solid defense and forced enough turnovers to score 12 points in transition, but they could not come back against one of their stronger competitors in the Sun Belt.

Sun Belt Scores:
Appalachian State 89 @ Little Rock 63
Georgia State 73 @ Arkansas State 79
Georgia Southern 68 @ UL-Monroe 81
South Alabama 61 @ UL-Lafayette 95
Texas State 56 @ UT-Arlington 71

[grahoben]

The Trojans couldn't pull far ahead of a Little Rock team that has been disappointing this season, but they managed to hold on to pick up win number one in conference play. Both teams shot the ball very well from distance, but Troy was also able to cash in at the line, making 27 free throws on 32 attempts.

Sun Belt Scores:
Coastal Carolina 58 @ Texas State 67
Appalachian State 61 @ UL-Lafayette 80
Georgia Southern 75 @ Arkansas State 79
Georgia State 71 @ UT-Arlington 78
South Alabama 59 @ UL-Monroe 71

[grahoben]

Troy's hot shooting carried over on the road at Georgia State, as the Trojans shot over 50 percent from behind the arc. Meanwhile, the Panthers went just 6-34 from three, and could not keep up with Troy's offensive outburst. Mike Guthridge finally provided a great game off the bench, shooting 4-5 from the field and scoring 13 points.

Sun Belt Scores:
UL-Lafayette 85 @ Georgia Southern 65
Arkansas State 67 @ Coastal Carolina 65
Texas State 72 @ Appalachian State 78
UT-Arlington 81 @ South Alabama 64
UL-Monroe 58 @ Little Rock 66

[grahoben]

Foul trouble on the road really hurt Troy's chances at Monroe, as three Trojan starters were limited due to fouls. Oliver Smith managed to have a career game off the bench with 16 points, but overall Troy had an underwhelming offensive game.

Sun Belt Scores:
Georgia Southern 55 @ Appalachian State 80
Texas State 64 @ Arkansas State 86
Coastal Carolina 66 @ UL-Lafayette 86
South Alabama 76 @ Georgia State 82
Little Rock 85 @ UT-Arlington 79

Sun Belt Standings (Conference, Overall):
UL-Lafayette 4-0, 9-6
Arkansas State 4-0, 7-8
UL-Monroe 3-1, 7-8
Appalachian State 3-1, 9-6
UT-Arlington 3-1, 7-9
Troy 2-2, 10-5
Little Rock 2-2, 6-9
Texas State 1-3, 7-8
Georgia State 1-3, 5-10
Coastal Carolina 1-3, 7-8
Georgia Southern 0-4, 3-12
South Alabama 0-4, 4-11