Troy Trojans Basketball: A Legacy of High-Scoring Offense and Tournament Appearances

The Troy Trojans men's basketball program represents Troy University in intercollegiate athletics. Classified in NCAA Division I, the team competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays home games in Trojan Arena, opened in 2012, replacing Sartain Hall.

A Historic Offensive Explosion in Division II

March 15, 1992, marks a significant date in Troy basketball history. Then known as Troy State, the team completed one of college basketball's most prolific offensive seasons, a Division II men's basketball record that still stands.

The Maestri Era: Inspired by Loyola Marymount

The roots of this remarkable season trace back to 1989-90 and Loyola Marymount's high-powered offense led by Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. Troy's head coach, Don Maestri, studied Paul Westhead's system and transformed the Trojans into an offensive juggernaut.

A Season of Unprecedented Scoring

Troy's record-setting season began with a 139-122 victory over Kennesaw State. The team continued its high-scoring ways, highlighted by a 258-141 victory over DeVry Institute in January, a game that remains the highest-scoring contest in college basketball history. During that January, Troy amassed 1,066 points in eight games, averaging 133.25 points per game.

The Numbers Behind the Offense

The Trojans scored 3,513 total points in 1991-92, ranking seventh all-time. Notably, they achieved this without playing 30 games, unlike the record-holding 2011 West Liberty team, which scored 3,784 points in 34 games. A significant portion of Troy's offense came from beyond the arc, with nearly 46 points per game coming from 3-pointers. The Trojans made 15.3 3-pointers per game and attempted 44.9, setting a high standard. In 29 games, the Trojans hit 444 three-pointers.

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Notorious Defense

Defense was not a priority for coach Maestri. The Trojans allowed 107.8 points per game that season. The style of play - you go for the steal and find the open 3-point shot or take it to the hole. The problem was, even the most aggressive teams miss steal opportunities. That apparently didn’t matter to Troy State.

An Unbreakable Record?

Of the current active DII men’s basketball programs that have challenged the record, the 1993 Central Oklahoma team came closest with a 113.6 average. The most recent run at the record was in 2011 when West Liberty averaged 111.3 points per game. In the 11 years since, no DII men’s basketball team has averaged more than 105.2 points per game. This mark seems more and more like an unbreakable record each passing year.

The 258-141 Game Against DeVry

Nearly one year prior to its Jan. 12 matchup against DeVry, Troy made DII men’s basketball history against the same team. On Feb. 15, 1991, the Trojans downed DeVry by scoring a DII single-game record 187 points. It took the Trojans nearly a minute to score, but at the 54-second mark, Andy Davis scored the first basket. Davis went 1-for-1 on the day and didn’t score again, the only Trojan not to reach double figures on the day. The Trojans piled on 135 more second-half points, still the all-time mark to this day. According to a Birmingham News article shared in the Troy basketball media guide, the ”Atlanta Journal Constitution” thought it was a prank call when the SID called it in. (Official box score from the game. Note - there has been some controversy over the years about two additional baskets being added to Troy State's total to reach 258. Years later, Jon Bois noted on YouTube that two baskets should not have counted and the Trojans "actually" scored 253 points… But it was. Ten players scored in double figures, with eight scoring at least 20 points. Future All-American Terry McCord scored 41 points in just 25 minutes - the most minutes played by any player that day. The top-5 highest scoring games in DII history are from just three teams. Troy is No. 1 with 258 and No. 3 with that 187 scored the year prior.

Success in Division II

Overall, the Trojans finished 23-6 by scoring 121.1 points per game. It broke a 32-year-old record set by Mississippi College when the Choctaws averaged 114.2 points over 19 games. Seven players averaged in double-digit scoring averages.

Before transitioning to Division I, Troy was a successful Division II program. In 1988, the team reached the Elite Eight of the Division II tournament, losing to Alaska-Anchorage, 77-72.

Transition to Division I

Troy State began its first Division I season in 1994, immediately making an impact by ranking second nationally in three-pointers attempted and fifth in three-pointers made. From 1994 to 2006, the Trojans led the nation four times in both three-pointers attempted and made. They consistently ranked among the top five in these categories from 1994 to 2008.

NCAA Tournament Appearances and Post-Season Play

The Trojans have made several appearances in post-season tournaments:

NCAA Division I Tournament: 2003, 2017, 2025.
National Invitation Tournament (NIT): Two appearances.
College Basketball Invitational (CBI): Two appearances.
NCAA Division II Tournament: Five appearances.
NAIA Tournament: Three appearances.

In 2003, as a 14-seed, Troy faced 3-seeded Xavier in the first round, losing 71-59. In 2017, Troy returned to the NCAA tournament after winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament, defeating Texas State, 59-53. As a 15 seed, they played no. 2 seed Duke in the first round. Duke defeated Troy, 87-65.

Rivalries

Troy maintains rivalries with several teams:

South Alabama: A significant in-state rivalry.
Georgia State: A rivalry that spans multiple conferences.
UCF: A dormant rivalry from their time in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Facilities

Troy's basketball teams have called two arenas home:

Sartain Hall: A 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena that hosted the Trojans until 2012. Built in 1962, it was initially designed for high school tournaments and college games.
Trojan Arena: The current home of Troy basketball, a 6,000-seat arena opened in 2012. It features 5,200 chair-back seats, seven upper-level suites, a Stadium Club area, and an LED ribbon board. The arena also includes 10,000 sq ft of basketball practice courts.

The Future

Some records were made to be broken. The Troy Trojans men’s basketball team is heading to the 2025 NCAA Tournament after winning the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans are 23-10 this season and on a six-game winning streak. Troy has not won a game in the Division 1 NCAA Tournament. After going 9-22 in his first year in 2019-20 and 11-17 the next season, Cross has led Troy to four straight 20-win seasons. Cross was the head coach at UT Arlington from 2006 to 2018, leading the Mavericks to the Sun Belt Conference championship game in 2018. Cross was fired after that season as UTA athletic director Jim Baker cited a need for new leadership in the program.

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