Coaching Career of Scott Price

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Troy destroyed UL-Monroe on the glass with a +21 rebounding differential, and that led to an easy win for the Trojans to improve to 9-6. Almost all of Troy's production came from the starting lineup, but that wasn't a problem as nobody faced tremendous foul trouble in the game. Steven Haslem led the Trojans with an excellent shooting night, as he made 4 threes and scored a game-high 20 points.

Sun Belt scores:
Appalachian State 70 @ Georgia Southern 68
Arkansas State 58 @ Texas State 65
UL-Lafayette 77 @ Coastal Carolina 66
Georgia State 74 @ South Alabama 69
UT-Arlington 74 @ Little Rock 87

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Troy missed a big opportunity to gain separation for a bye in the Sun Belt Tournament, and now they may need to win their final two home games to capture a top four seed. The Trojans led by as much as 13 in the first half, but a poor second half allowed South Alabama to win the game at home. Troy had another very quiet night from the bench, with just 10 points coming from outside the starting five.

Sun Belt Scores:
Arkansas State 50 @ UL-Lafayette 74
Texas State 65 @ Georgia Southern 93
Coastal Carolina 88 @ Appalachian State 71
UL-Monroe 62 @ UT-Arlington 85
Little Rock 68 @ Georgia State 53

Sun Belt Standings:
1. UL-Lafayette 15-1, 20-7
2. Little Rock 10-6, 14-13
3. UT-Arlington 10-6, 14-14
4. Troy 9-7, 17-10
5. Georgia State 9-7, 13-14
6. Arkansas State 8-8, 11-16
7. Coastal Carolina 8-8, 14-13
8. Appalachian State 8-8, 14-13
9. UL-Monroe 8-8, 12-15
10. South Alabama 4-12, 8-19
11. Georgia Southern 4-12, 7-20
12. Texas State 3-13, 9-18

Bubble Watch:

Last Four Byes: Iowa State, Purdue, Stanford, Iowa
Last Four In: Michigan, Northwestern, Kansas, Illinois
First Four Out: Rhode Island, Texas, Vanderbilt, Buffalo
Next Four Out: Seton Hall, Washington State, Richmond, South Florida

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In a back-and-forth contest, Troy pulled out a huge win to move into a tie for third place. Gerald Griffin had another great game, putting up a double double with 19 points and 10 boards. Danny Thomas led the Trojans on defense, coming up with 4 steals and 2 blocks.

Sun Belt Scores:
Appalachian State 63 @ Arkansas State 83
Georgia Southern 68 @ Coastal Carolina 79
UL-Lafayette 89 @ Texas State 75
Georgia State 63 @ UL-Monroe 76
South Alabama 81 @ Little Rock 79

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Troy closed out the regular season with a big win against Arkansas State to finish at 11-7, which is good enough for the #2 seed in the conference tournament. Gerald Griffin continued his hot streak as the leading scorer with 15 points, and Luke Linton had an efficient game, shooting 6-8 from the field.

Sun Belt Scores:
Coastal Carolina 81 @ South Alabama 62
Little Rock 74 @ Georgia Southern 72
UL-Monroe 54 @ Texas State 39
UL-Lafayette 64 @ Georgia State 73
UT-Arlington 66 @ Appalachian State 75

Sun Belt Standings:
1. UL-Lafayette 16-2, 21-8
2. Troy 11-7, 19-10
3. Little Rock 11-7, 15-14
4. Georgia State 10-8, 14-15
5. UL-Monroe 10-8, 14-15
6. Coastal Carolina 10-8, 16-13
7. UT-Arlington 10-8, 14-16
8. Arkansas State 9-9, 12-17
9. Appalachian State 9-9, 15-14
10. South Alabama 5-13, 9-20
11. Georgia State 4-14, 7-22
12. Texas State 3-15, 9-20

AP Poll:
1. Florida (31-1)
2. Michigan State (25-7)
3. Louisville (26-5)
4. Clemson (25-6)
5. Texas A&M (26-5)
6. Memphis (26-6)
7. Arkansas (25-6)
8. Indiana (23-8)
9. Georgetown (23-6)
10. Wisconsin (24-7)
11. Saint Mary's (26-5)
12. Arizona State (25-6)
13. Gonzaga (23-7)
14. Kentucky (21-10)
15. Wichita State (22-8)
16. Texas Tech (22-9)
17. Temple (22-7)
18. UNLV (23-7)
19. VCU (23-6)
20. New Mexico (23-8)
21. Maryland (21-9)
22. Syracuse (20-11)
23. Buffalo (23-6)
24. Utah (21-8)
25. Alabama (21-8)

Bubble Watch:

Last Four Byes: Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Northwestern
Last Four In: Michigan, Kansas, North Carolina, Illinois
First Four Out: Iowa State, Boise State, Vanderbilt, Rhode Island
Next Four Out: UConn, Richmond, South Florida, San Francisco

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Sun Belt First Round:
#8 Arkansas State 62
#9 Appalachian State 81

#5 UL-Monroe 59
#12 Texas State 72

#6 Coastal Carolina 73
#11 Georgia Southern 71

#7 UT-Arlington 68
#10 South Alabama 64



Troy's trip to the Sun Belt Tournament was a short one, as they were bounced by 7-seed UT-Arlington in their first game. The Trojans were red hot from the field, but 25 turnovers allowed the Mavericks to outscore Troy by 12 in transition. Troy will likely go to the postseason in some capacity, but their hopes of advancing to the NCAA Tournament are over.

Sun Belt Quarterfinals:
#1 UL-Lafayette 92
#9 Appalachian State 65

#4 Georgia State 66
#12 Texas State 61

#3 Little Rock 83
#6 Coastal Carolina 75

#2 Troy 80
#7 UT-Arlington 88

Sun Belt Semifinals:
#1 UL-Lafayette 122 (2 OT)
#4 Georgia State 117

#7 UT-Arlington 66
#3 Little Rock 59

Sun Belt Championship:
#1 UL-Lafayette 90
#7 UT-Arlington 65

Conference Champions:
AAC: Memphis
AEC: Hartford
ACC: Clemson
A-Sun: Lipscomb
A10: VCU
BE: Villanova
BSky: Montana
BSouth: Presbyterian
B10: Michigan State
B12: Texas
BW: UC Riverside
CAA: Charleston
C-USA: Louisiana Tech
Horizon: Youngstown State
Ivy: Harvard
MAAC: Rider
MAC: Kent State
MEAC: Norfolk State
MVC: Missouri State
MWC: New Mexico
NEC: Bryant
OVC: Belmont
P12: Utah
Patriot: Boston U
SEC: Arkansas
SoCon: VMI
Southland: Houston Baptist
Summit: Omaha
SWAC: Texas Southern
SB: UL-Lafayette
WAC: New Mexico State
WCC: Saint Mary's

Troy will host Florida International in the first round of the CBI.

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Troy didn't put up much of a fight in the first round of the CBI, getting held to 20 points in the first half and falling to FIU by 13. Of the seniors playing their final games, Rob Stone had the best performance, putting up a double double with 10/10. Steven Haslem finished another strong season of shooting the ball by going 5-11 from three.

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First Four:
#12 Richmond over #12 Michigan
#12 North Carolina over #12 Oklahoma State
#16 Texas Southern over #16 UC Riverside
#16 Charleston over #16 Presbyterian

First Round:
#1 Florida over #16 Texas Southern
#8 Alabama over #9 NC State
#5 Wichita State over #12 UL-Lafayette
#4 Georgetown over #13 Youngstown State
#2 Texas A&M over #15 New Mexico State
#10 Stanford over #7 Buffalo
#11 Iowa over #6 New Mexico
#3 Kentucky over #14 Boston U

#1 Clemson over #16 Montana
#8 Pittsburgh over #9 Cincinnati
#5 VCU over #12 North Carolina
#4 Saint Mary's over #13 VMI
#2 Arkansas over #15 Houston Baptist
#10 West Virginia over #7 Miami FL
#6 UNLV over #11 Seton Hall
#14 Bryant over #3 Arizona State

#1 Louisville over #16 Lipscomb
#8 Oklahoma over #9 Syracuse
#5 Texas Tech over #12 Richmond
#4 Utah over #13 Harvard
#2 Memphis over #15 Hartford
#10 Purdue over #7 SMU
#6 Texas over #11 Illinois
#3 Wisconsin over #14 Missouri State

#1 Michigan State over #16 Charleston
#8 Wake Forest over #9 Iowa State
#5 Maryland over #12 Omaha
#4 Gonzaga over #13 Norfolk State
#2 Indiana over #15 Rider
#7 Villanova over #10 Virginia
#6 Kent State over #11 Belmont
#3 Temple over #14 Louisiana Tech

Second Round:
#1 Florida over #8 Alabama
#4 Georgetown over #5 Wichita State
#2 Texas A&M over #10 Stanford
#3 Kentucky over #11 Iowa

#8 Pittsburgh over #1 Clemson
#5 VCU over #4 Saint Mary's
#2 Arkansas over #10 West Virginia
#6 UNLV over #14 Bryant

#1 Louisville over #8 Oklahoma
#5 Texas Tech over #4 Utah
#2 Memphis over #10 Purdue
#3 Wisconsin over #6 Texas

#1 Michigan State over #8 Wake Forest
#4 Gonzaga over #5 Maryland
#2 Indiana over #7 Villanova
#3 Temple over #6 Kent State

Sweet Sixteen:
#1 Florida over #4 Georgetown
#3 Kentucky over #2 Texas A&M

#5 VCU over #8 Pittsburgh
#6 UNLV over #2 Arkansas

#1 Louisville over #5 Texas Tech
#2 Memphis over #3 Wisconsin

#1 Michigan State over #4 Gonzaga
#2 Indiana over #3 Temple

Elite Eight:
#1 Florida over #3 Kentucky
#5 VCU over #6 UNLV
#2 Memphis over #1 Louisville
#1 Michigan State over #2 Indiana

Final Four:
#1 Florida over #5 VCU
#1 Michigan State over #2 Memphis

#1 Florida over #1 Michigan State

Bids by conference:
ACC - 9
Big 10 - 8
Big 12 - 6
AAC - 5
SEC - 5
Big East - 3
PAC 12 - 3
A10 - 2
MAC - 2
MWC - 2
WCC - 2

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Sun Belt Awards:

(PPG/APG/RPG/SPG/BPG)
Player of the Year: C Rob Saunders (ULL Jr.) - 17.4/1.6/6.6/1.0/0.9
Defensive Player of the Year: F Cuonzo Marion (ULL Sr.) - 11.2/1.5/5.7/1.3/1.1
Freshman of the Year: G Chris White (TXST Fr.) - 13.0/2.1/4.2/1.3/0.5
Coach of the Year: Bob Marlin (ULL)

First Team All-Conference:
G Brian Johnson (CCU Sr.) - 14.2/2.5/3.7/1.2/1.2
G Marcus Werner (USA Sr.) - 14.6/2.5/3.8/1.2/0.8
F Leroy Pohlman (GAST Sr.) - 11.7/1.4/8.0/1.3/1.5
C Rob Saunders (ULL Sr.) - 17.4/1.6/6.6/1.0/0.9
C Lon Cox (UALR Jr.) - 12.5/1.6/6.7/1.0/1.3

Second Team All-Conference:
G Chris White (TSU Fr.) - 13.0/2.1/4.2/1.3/0.5
F Eddie Gilbert (CCU Sr.) - 8.5/2.5/7.0/1.2/1.2
F Marcus Alexnader (ULL Sr.) - 12.3/1.9/4.9/1.3/0.9
F Cuonzo Marion (ULL Sr.) - 11.2/1.5/5.7/1.3/1.1
C Rob Stone (TROY Sr.) - 12.0/1.2/6.6/1.0/0.7

After another strong season at Troy, Coach Price has decided to stick with his current school. The only interesting job opening was George Washington, who was coming off a 3-15 season in the Atlantic 10.

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2021-22 Roster:

Guards:
#2 Luke Linton (6-0 Sr.) - Linton had another strong season as Troy's starting point guard, and last year he increased his ability as a scorer by increasing his average to 10.5 PPG.

#21 Steven Haslem (6-1 Sr.) - Haslem has been Troy's leading scorer two years in a row, and he is likely to continue that trend as he enters his final collegiate season. Haslem does most of his work from the three point line, where has made over 80 threes in each of the last two season.

#3 Zach Petteway (5-8 Sr.) - Petteway took a step back last season as the backup point guard, as three point percentage dipped from 48% to 35%. Petteway has the ability to provide scoring off the bench, but he turns the ball over too much to be a reliable point guard.

#32 Oliver Smith (6-3 Jr.) - Smith hasn't quite realized his potential in two seasons at Troy, and last year his production off the bench slightly declined. Last year his efficiency crashed, as he only shot 30.5% from the field.

#14 Matt Kincade (6-1 So.) - Kincade played sparingly as a freshman, but he did show some ability as an outside shooter (2-5 3pt).

#15 Ron Wagner (6-2 Fr.) - Wagner is a 2-star recruit that has a chance to see significant playing time next year, but he will probably be redshirted this year with Troy having depth at the point guard position.

Forwards:
#5 Danny Thomas (6-7 Sr.) - Thomoas is a solid all around player that will spend another year in Troy's starting lineup. Although his scoring didn't increase as a junior, he did improve his shooting percentages and rebounding numbers.

#4 Jared Tart (6-8 Fr.) - Despite coming into the program as a 1-star recruit, Tart has impressed early this season, and has the chance to start at forward. Tart isn't a huge inside threat, but he is a good rebounder that can stretch the floor with his shooting ability.

#25 Kevin Watson (6-6 Jr.) - Watson hasn't done much in two years coming off the bench, but hopefully this year he can realize his potential as a great outside shooter.

#34 Eric Swift (6-6 So.) - Swift showed some potential as a scorer last year (1.7 PPG in 4.7 MPG), but has not done much as a rebounder or defender. If he continues to develop this season, he could pass Watson on the depth chart as the primary backup wing.

#11 Ben McLean (6-11 So.) - McLean sat out last year after transferring from La Salle, where he averaged just 1.1 points per game. He doesn't seem like much of a scorer, but he will be able to provide more depth in the post than Troy had last year.

#35 Jeffrey Johnson (6-6 Fr.) - Walk on who joined the team this offseason.

Centers:
#51 Mark Mouring (6-10 Jr.) - Mouring joins Troy as a JUCO transfer, and with his experience he has a chance to begin the season as the starting center. He probably won't be as good of a scorer as last year's big men, but he should be decent enough as a rebounder.

#40 Ron McGadney (6-11 Fr.) - McGadney is a 2-star recruit who is a bit of a project at this point, but he has great potential as an offensive asset around the rim. He will probably start the season coming off the bench, but if he shows early progress he could potentially play a big role as a true freshman.

#52 Kory Napier (6-9 Sr.) - Napier played 27 games off the bench out of necessity last year, but with increased depth at center he probably won't get that opportunity this year.

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Looking back at last season's preseason poll...

1. Florida - #1 seed, NCAA Champions
2. Kansas - NIT Champions
3. Michigan State - #1 seed, NCAA Runner-up
4. Louisville - #1 seed, Elite Eight
5. Xavier - Missed postseason
6. Kentucky - #3 seed, Elite Eight
7. Texas - #6 seed, Second Round
8. Duke - NIT
9. Wisconsin - #3 seed, Sweet Sixteen
10. Gonzaga - #4 seed, Sweet Sixteen
11. North Carolina - #12 seed, First Round
12. Maryland - #5 seed, Second Round
13. Ohio State - Missed postseason
14. Syracuse - #9 seed, First Round
15. West Virginia - #10 seed, Second Round
16. Clemson - #1 seed, Second Round
17. Georgetown - #4 seed, Sweet Sixteen
18. Texas A&M - #2 seed, Sweet Sixteen
19. Villanova - #7 seed, Second Round
20. Indiana - #2 seed, Elite Eight
21. Temple - #3 seed, Sweet Sixteen
22. Michigan - #12 seed, First Four
23. Creighton - Missed postseason
24. Virginia - #10 seed, First Round
25. Memphis - #2 seed, Final Four

2021-22 Preseason AP Poll:
1. Michigan State
2. North Carolina
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Louisville
6. Wisconsin
7. Kentucky
8. Texas
9. Kansas
10. Florida
11. Maryland
12. Gonzaga
13. Arizona
14. Georgetown
15. Indiana
16. Clemson
17. West Virginia
18. Tennessee
19. Texas A&M
20. Xavier
21. Illinois
22. Wichita State
23. Michigan
24. Butler
25. Pittsburgh