# 2022–23 Troy Trojans men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Troy Trojans men's basketball team represented Troy University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by fourth-year head coach Scott Cross, played their home games at Trojan Arena in Troy, Alabama as members of the Sun Belt Conference.

## Previous season

The Trojans finished the 2021–22 season 20–12, 10–6 in SBC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated South Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SBC Tournament before losing to Louisiana in the semifinals. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost to Abilene Christian in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| TK Smith | 1 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Junior | Memphis, TN | Graduate transferred |
| Desmond Williams | 11 | G | 6'1" | 165 | Sophomore | Montgomery, AL | Transferred to UT Martin |
| Khalyl Waters | 13 | F | 6'5" | 190 | Senior | Douglasville, GA | Graduated |
| Jakevan Leftridge | 14 | G | 6'7" | 180 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Transferred |
| Nick O'Brien | 20 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Freshman | Troy, AL | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Duke Deen | 21 | G | 5'8" | 160 | Freshman | Shreveport, LA | Transferred to Panola College |
| Rifen Miguel | 22 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Junior | Luanda, Angola | Transferred to UT Martin |
| Efe Odigie | 23 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Junior | Houston, TX | Graduate transferred to SMU |
| Nick Stampley | 24 | F | 6'6" | 210 | Senior | Broward County, FL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Darius McNeill | 1 | G | 6'3" | 185 | GS Senior | Houston, TX | UTSA |
| Aamer Muhammad | 2 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Junior | Rio Ranch, NM | Lubbock Christian |
| Nelson Phillips | 11 | G | 6'4" | 190 | RS Senior | Waner Robins, GA | Georgia State |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Randi Ovalle SF | Charlotte, NC | Victory Christian Center School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 16, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Andre Young PG | Mableton, GA | Pebblebrook High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Jun 20, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Jackson Fields SF | Houston, TX | Elkins High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Apr 21, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Myles Rigsby CG | Fort Worth, TX | O.D. Wyatt High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 13, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Preseason
### Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Trojans were picked to finish in 10th place in the conference's preseason poll. Senior forward Zay Williams was named to the preseason All-SBC Third Team.
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team (1st place Votes) |
| 1 | Louisiana - 190 (10) |
| 2 | Texas State - 162 (1) |
| 3 | South Alabama - 150 (1) |
| 4 | James Madison - 149 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia State - 127 (1) |
| 6 | Marshall - 122 |
| 7 | App State - 120 |
| 8 | Coastal Carolina - 100 |
| 9 | Old Dominion - 93 |
| 10 | Troy - 76 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern - 69 |
| 12 | Arkansas State - 48 |
| 13 | Southern Miss - 34 |
| 14 | ULM - 30 |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Montevallo | W 87–67 | 1–0 | 17 – Phillips | 9 – Tshimanga | 4 – Miles | Trojan Arena (2,879) Troy, AL |
| November 10, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | MUW | W 96–42 | 2–0 | 20 – Phillips | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Trojan Arena (2,498) Troy, AL |
| November 14, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | at Florida State | W 79–72 | 3–0 | 23 – Muhammad | 9 – Punter | 6 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (4,973) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 17, 2022* 6:00 p.m. | | vs. Merrimack Zootown Classic | W 73–54 | 4–0 | 14 – Putner | 7 – Fields | 3 – Tied | Dahlberg Arena Missoula, MT |
| November 18, 2022* 6:00 p.m. | | vs. St. Thomas (MN) Zootown Classic | L 76–78 | 4–1 | 19 – Miles | 7 – Geffrard | 4 – Miles | Dahlberg Arena (251) Missoula, MT |
| November 19, 2022* 8:30 p.m. | | at Montana Zootown Classic | W 73–62 | 5–1 | 14 – Phillips | 8 – Williams | 5 – Muhammad | Dahlberg Arena (2,644) Missoula, MT |
| November 22, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Southern-New Orleans | W 118–61 | 6–1 | 22 – Tied | 8 – Phillips | 8 – Phillips | Trojan Arena (2,130) Troy, AL |
| November 28, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 11 Arkansas | L 61–74 | 6–2 | 22 – Phillips | 7 – Phillips | 3 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 3, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at SIU Edwardsville | L 72–78 | 6–3 | 13 – Muhammad | 8 – Phillips | 4 – Muhammad | Vadalabene Center (727) Edwardsville, IL |
| December 5, 2022* 9:00 p.m. | | at No. 22 San Diego State | L 55–60 | 6–4 | 21 – Muhammad | 7 – Punter | 3 – Eugene | Viejas Arena (12,038) San Diego, CA |
| December 10, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tennessee Tech | W 87–64 | 7–4 | 17 – Eugene | 8 – Williams | 4 – Tied | Trojan Arena (2,987) Troy, AL |
| December 17, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southeastern Louisiana | W 77–71 | 8–4 | 19 – Punter | 8 – Williams | 5 – Punter | University Center (403) Hammond, LA |
| December 21, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mercer | L 79–82 | 8–5 | 20 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 4 – Eugene | Trojan Arena (2,081) Troy, AL |
| Sun Belt Conference regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southern Miss | L 60–64 | 8–6 (0–1) | 19 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Reed Green Coliseum (3,265) Hattiesburg, MS |
| December 31, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Texas State | W 55–52 | 9–6 (1–1) | 16 – Punter | 5 – Williams | 5 – Eugene | Strahan Coliseum (941) San Marcos, TX |
| January 5, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Old Dominion | W 78–71 | 10–6 (2–1) | 17 – Phillips | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Trojan Arena (2,322) Troy, AL |
| January 7, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Arkansas State | W 66–54 | 11–6 (3–1) | 16 – Williams | 7 – Phillips | 4 – Tied | Trojan Arena (2,972) Troy, AL |
| January 12, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Georgia State | W 65–53 | 12–6 (4–1) | 16 – Punter | 6 – Phillips | 5 – Eugene | GSU Convocation Center (1,673) Atlanta, GA |
| January 14, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Appalachian State | L 45–58 | 12–7 (4–2) | 12 – Tied | 11 – Phillips | 2 – Tied | Holmes Center (2,377) Boone, NC |
| January 19, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | James Madison | L 87–89 $^{OT}$ | 12–8 (4–3) | 17 – Muhammad | 7 – Tied | 5 – McNeill | Trojan Arena (2,953) Troy, AL |
| January 21, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 77–53 | 13–8 (5–3) | 20 – Muhammad | 7 – Williams | 4 – Muhammad | Trojan Arena (3,154) Troy, AL |
| January 26, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Louisiana | L 57–72 | 13–9 (5–4) | 16 – Punter | 9 – Williams | 3 – Williams | Cajundome (3,148) Lafayette, LA |
| January 28, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at South Alabama | L 60–77 | 13–10 (5–5) | 17 – Eugene | 4 – Fields | 2 – Tied | Mitchell Center (2,779) Mobile, AL |
| February 2, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Southern Miss | L 65–74 | 13–11 (5–6) | 18 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 5 – Turner | Trojan Arena (3,314) Troy, AL |
| February 4, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas State | W 68–64 | 14–11 (6–6) | 19 – Williams | 7 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Trojan Arena (3,192) Troy, AL |
| February 9, 2023 7:15 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Alabama | W 61–57 | 15–11 (7–6) | 16 – Phillips | 13 – Williams | 3 – Eugene | Trojan Arena (4,014) Troy, AL |
| February 11, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Louisiana | W 80–65 | 16–11 (8–6) | 26 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 4 – Tied | Trojan Arena (3,772) Troy, AL |
| February 16, 2023 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Arkansas State | W 67–62 | 17–11 (9–6) | 22 – Phillips | 9 – Williams | 3 – Eugene | First National Bank Arena (1,026) Jonesboro, AR |
| February 18, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Marshall | L 78–88 | 17–12 (9–7) | 22 – Phillips | 8 – Williams | 4 – McNeill | Cam Henderson Center (5,711) Huntington, WV |
| February 22, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 82–78 $^{OT}$ | 18–12 (10–7) | 17 – Eugene | 12 – Williams | 7 – Eugene | Fant–Ewing Coliseum (962) Monroe, LA |
| February 24, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Coastal Carolina | W 95–74 | 19–12 (11–7) | 19 – Eugene | 7 – Williams | 5 – Phillips | Trojan Arena (4,232) Troy, AL |
| Sun Belt tournament |||||||||
| March 2, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (5) | vs. (13) Arkansas State Second Round | W 63–59 | 20–12 | 15 – Williams | 14 – Phillips | 3 – Eugene | Pensacola Bay Center Pensacola, FL |
| March 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (5) | vs. (4) James Madison Quarterfinals | L 72–75 | 20–13 | 26 – Eugene | 9 – Phillips | 3 – McNeill | Pensacola Bay Center Pensacola, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Source