Troy’s hopes for an upset rest on Tayton Conerway.(Troy University)
This week, McNeese head coach Will Wade admitted he’s been in touch with NC State about their coaching vacancy; Clemson coach Brad Brownell is about to get rewarded with a six-year contract extension; and RJ Davis helped shut up the UNC critics by becoming the first Tar Heel to go 6-for-6 from downtown in an NCAA Tourney game to propel the team into the main field of 64. Other college basketball stories we’re following include…
Can the Trojans Sneak Up On Kentucky?
Since bottoming out with just nine wins in 2019-20, the Troy Trojans have been building up their program almost every year, improving to 11 wins in ’20-21 and then making a big leap to 20, which they accomplished three straight seasons. This season, Troy won 23 games for its highest total since 2003-04, while finished tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference with a 13-5 mark.
And despite being only the No. 3 seed in the conference tourney, the Trojans emerged victorious with three convincing wins to punch a ticket for their third ever NCAA tourney appearance and first since 2016-17.
Their reward is a first round matchup on Friday against a Kentucky team ranked 18th in the country, but the more experienced Wildcats cannot overlook Troy given its current six-game win streak.
In the Sun Belt final, the Trojans were led by Tayton Conerway, as usual. The senior guard, who paced Troy in scoring, assists and steals this season, drained a game-high 21 points with six boards en route to winning tournament Most Outstanding Player honours. He could give Kentucky problems.
After spending one season at community college and two playing JuCo ball, Conerway joined Troy last season and played very well off the bench, taking home the Sixth Man of the Year for the Sun Belt. As a full-time starter this season, he really took off, getting way more touches and upping his bucket count. Surprisingly, however, he didn’t get to the line as often, which capped his scoring increase.
Given Conerway’s offensive rebounding ability – very notable for a 6’3” guard – and his excellent passing skills and defensive chops, he’s a dark horse NBA prospect. He has a flair for the flashy passes, which can often lead to turnover issues, and while he’s not someone you need to pay attention to on draft day, it wouldn’t be a shock for him to get an invite to Summer League to show what he can do. For what it’s worth, when he was in high school, he did this…
Can the Gaels Go Further Than Gonzaga?
In 2020-21, the Saint Mary’s Gaels had a middling 14-10 season, but have won at least 26 games every season since, including a whopping 28 (including a 17-1 mark to win the WCC regular season title) in 2024-25.
The Gaels, ranked 20th in the country, had an eight-game win streak snapped by Gonzaga in the conference tourney final, but still got an at-large bid for its fourth straight March Madness appearance. Now the question is which WCC power will make a deeper NCAA tourney run, or will they each stall out at the same point?
Well, as per Head to Head odds at FanDuel, in looking at those three options, Saint Mary’s going the furthest is the long shot here at +200.
In the loss to Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s leading shot blocker Mitchell Saxen came up big, scoring 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting with a pair of swats. He was inconsistent offensively down the stretch, but did his usual thing with five combined blocks over the last two games.
A fifth-year senior centre, Saxen has been extremely consistent with his production over the last three seasons (making the All-Conference First Team in each of these campaigns), but enjoyed career bests in rebounding, assists and steals while matching his personal high in blocks this season.
He’s not likely to be drafted, but he does have decent scoring skill off the dribble and is a wonderful offensive rebounder. Even so, Saxen’s lack of shooting range caps what he can do offensively at the NBA level should he get a shot.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Now 56 years old, Uriah Heep’s current lineup is: Mick Box (the only original member left), Phil Lanzon, Bernie Shaw, Russell Gilbrook and Dave Rimmer. Here’s “Circle of Hands,” another track from their 1973 album Uriah Heep Live.