Around the Wall – March 1, 2022
Around the Wall is a weekly look at Troy Athletics, recapping the previous week and looking ahead to the next opponent.
Be sure to subscribe to get Around the Wall every week!
Women’s Basketball
Record: 22-7, 13-2 (Sun Belt Regular Season Champions)
Game 5: vs. Arkansas State/Coastal Carolina winner, Friday, March 4 11:30 AM – FULL BRACKET
Stat of the week: Troy has won some form of championship (tournament or regular season) in 5 of the last 7 years, including the last three.
They did it! The women defended their tournament title with a regular season crown.
Now they’re aiming to do something Troy hasn’t done since 1997, and something that hasn’t been done since the 2020 tournament was cancelled: win a regular season crown and the tournament.
Leading that charge? First team all-Sun Belt Felmas Koranga and third team Amber Leggett.
With the top seed, Troy gets to rest until Friday, but the winner of the Arkansas State/Coastal Carolina game will be waiting. Troy had more issues with the Red Wolves in their only matchup, but under Jaida Williams the Chants have always been competitive.
The next team (not that we should be looking ahead) would be App State/ULM/Little Rock. Little Rock gave the Trojans the most trouble out of the three, but again, this is the tournament. Win Friday, then focus on Sunday.
It all wraps up Monday at 1 on ESPNU. Hopefully this entry will be a lot more exciting.
Men’s Basketball
Record: 19-10, 10-6 (4th Sun Belt)
Game 5: vs. South Alabama/Little Rock winner, Saturday, March 5 2 PM – FULL BRACKET
Stat of the week: With 19 wins, this is the best regular season performance from Troy since 2003-04 (22)
Troy slipped to the 4th seed with the heartbreaking loss to Texas State, but the Trojans still have their first tournament bye in over a decade.
The teams playing for the matchup, South Alabama and Little Rock, have both beaten Troy, but both have fallen off since their last game against the Trojans.
Barring some insanity, a Troy win would guarantee a rematch with Texas State, and simply put, they’re the team to beat. The Bobcats have some incredible shooters, as we just saw, and they’re consistent on the floor. We’ll see if this time off cools them down, or if Troy can get hot, on Sunday.
That’s up to Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year Efe Odigie and Freshman of the Year Duke Deen. Troy hasn’t won those awards since 2008-09 (Richard Delk) and 2014-15 (Wesley Person) respectively. Also, Odigie is the first Trojan to make a first team since Jordan Varnado in 2016-17. Varnado was the last Trojan to make any postseason list, at second team the next year.
The men’s championship is Monday at 6 on ESPN 2. If Troy can break through and get that 20th win, this team will have a lot more to celebrate.
Softball
Record: 11-2 (1st Sun Belt)
Upcoming events: LSU Invitational (LSU x2, Central Conn. State, La Tech x2)
Stat of the week: Troy has never beaten a ranked D-I opponent as badly as the women beat Ohio State.
4-0. Ohio State. Number 25. Wow.
I’m still in shock that the women held a RANKED team, much less a household brand like The Ohio State University, to just two hits.
Then again, it was Leanna Johnson. You know, the Sun Belt pitcher of the week for the past three weeks?
Losing the last two games of the weekend to rain is unfortunate, but that’s two fewer losses to hurt the women down the road. It’s also a recent victory to puff up the resume.
That resume faces a tough test this weekend in Baton Rouge. LSU is just as unforgiving as Virginia Tech, and La Tech is no slouch either. If Troy can pick up at least three wins this weekend (preferably one against LSU) the women will be in a fantastic position heading into conference play.
Baseball
Record: 5-3 (5th Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: at Alabama (Wednesday), Kennesaw State
The past week was tough. Auburn gave Troy everything it could ask for, and then so did Jacksonville. The Trojans made some great plays and took advantage of some mistakes, but ultimately the Dolphins won the weekend.
Troy has tons of talent and plenty of potential, so it’s still hard to recognize this is a rebuilding year.
Coach Smartt’s tenure was an extension of Coaches Riddle and Pierce, so bringing in someone with a non-Troy perspective is challenging. It can be a massive success like Coach Cross, or it can be a failure like Chip was. Either way it takes time to find out.
For now, Troy will take on that other SEC team in state before hosting KSU at home this weekend. This might not be an easy stretch either, but the conference path is even less forgiving.
Men’s Golf
Rank: 6th Sun Belt
Upcoming events: Gulf Coast Collegiate
The Gulf Coast Collegiate began Monday, and I’ll update this with the stats as I get them. Here’s the leaderboard.
The men took home a SECOND straight title at the Gulf Coast Collegiate. These guys are on fire right now!
Women’s Golf
Rank: 8th Sun Belt
Upcoming events: Benbow Invitational (March 7-8)
The women, who have been on a break since Valentine’s Day weekend, pick back up next Monday at the Benbow Invitational in Jacksonville.
Men’s Tennis
Record: 8-5 (4th Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: at Jacksonville State (Tuesday), Southern Miss (Saturday), Chattanooga (Sunday)
The men’s tennis team almost pulled off the same No. 25 upset, falling just one match short of beating FSU this past weekend. A 5-2 win over Middle Georgia State made it a great week for the men regardless.
With that momentum, the men start what’s basically a pre-conference slate, playing non-conference rivals in Jacksonville State, UAB, and… yeah, let’s consider Southern Miss rivals. We wrote a whole story about it during football season.
In the middle of those three games is a Sunday matchup with Chattanooga. No win is guaranteed, but that should be a tuneup game for the Trojans before taking on the Blazers and then the Sun Belt.
Women’s Tennis
Record: 4-3 (4th Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: at Samford (Thursday), at Jacksonville State (Friday)
The women were swept and blanked this past weekend against Wake Forest, Arizona and Yale. Thankfully, the matches were in Montgomery, so the Trojans’ undefeated home record is still intact.
They hit the road this week, too, staying in-state for matches against Samford and Jacksonville State. This trip should also serve as a tuneup stretch, as the women start conference play a week before the men.
Oddly, the men’s conference tournament is a week before the women’s.
Indoor Track and Field
The Troy women made a major impact at the Sun Belt Championships last week, bringing home three medals.
It’s also worth noting that Edita Sklenska broke a meet record with a 2:07.46 in the Women 800 Meter Run.
| Participant | Event | Place |
| Edita Sklenska | Women 800 M Run | 1st* |
| Maja Kuessner | Women High Jump | 1st |
| (multiple) | Women 4×400 M Relay | 3rd |
| Inez Garcia | Women Pentathlon | 7th |
| (multiple) | Women’s Distance Medley | 9th |
The NCAA selections are Tuesday, so I’ll update this if any Trojans make the cut.
Outdoor Track and Field
Upcoming Event: Jaguar Opener (Fri-Sat)
Meanwhile, the Outdoor Track and Field team gets started this weekend down in Mobile. They won’t pick back up until after the NCAA Indoor Championships March 11-12.
One Cool Thing
A little bit of fun during the rain delay against Virginia Tech this weekend. The Hokies challenged Troy to a little tic-tac-toe action!