Men's basketball wins Sun Belt regular season title

Troy men’s basketball won its final two games at home last week to earn the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship for its second year in a row. 

The Trojans knocked off Louisiana on Tuesday night, 78-59, followed by a win over ULM, 80-65, to secure the title. It also clinched a 20-win season for the fifth straight season. 

“I'm just super thankful and grateful to win a championship,” head coach Scott Cross said.

“All wins are very difficult, and winning a championship is tough, and you never want to take that for granted.” 

The Trojans celebrate after clinching the Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship at home. (Troy Athletics photo)

The Trojans had a slow start against Louisiana, leading by just four at halftime. Things turned up for the final twenty minutes, though. Troy outscored the Ragin’ Cajuns in the second half 51-36. Jerrell Bellamy led the way with 25 points, going 11-for-13 from the floor.

A 78-59 win set up Troy for a chance to at least have a share of the Sun Belt title with a win against ULM later that week. 

Troy entered the game on Friday night in a four-way tie with App State, South Alabama and Marshall. With three more teams sitting just one game behind, basketball fans across the country were raving about the prospect of a seven-way tie for the Sun Belt title. 

As the first Sun Belt game of the evening, Troy quickly played spoiler to that narrative. The Trojans pounced out to an eight-point halftime advantage at 37-29. Things did not change much in the second half, as Troy padded the gap to win by 15 and set off the confetti cannons inside of Trojan Arena. 

Thomas Dowd was the leading scorer for Troy with 22 points on top of his 11 assists. Jerrell Bellamy continued his strong week with 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks. 

While the other games continued, Troy celebrated the championship with streamers and a net-cutting ceremony. Most notably, App State was beaten in a road game against Texas State in the final moments.  

The win for the Bobcats helped to eliminate App State from a co-championship and secure Troy the number one seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. South Alabama and Marshall were then upset as well, giving Troy the outright top spot in the conference. 

This marks the third time Troy has won a Sun Belt regular-season title and the first ever to not be shared. It is also the first time Troy has won consecutive conference championships since it did so three consecutive times in the ASUN from 2001-02 to the 2003-04 seasons. 

While there was a six-way tie for second place in the conference, Troy fans were able to rest easy knowing their team would enter the conference tournament with a “super-bye” all the way to the semifinals. The team will need to win that game on Sunday, along with a championship contest Monday night, to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.  

Troy will tip off in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinal game at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined.

The semifinals will be on ESPN+, with the Monday championship at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.