The Troy Trojans take a step up Monday night when Mid-America Conference opponent Bowling Green visits Trojan Arena at 7 p.m.
Troy improved to 4-3 Thursday night with a 71-53 victory over Alabama State.
Troy coach Don Maestri said he expects the Falcons to be a much more physical opponent than the Trojans have played.
"It will be a pretty different game for us," Maestri said. "They're a team from the MAC. They play a different style of basketball - very physical, more conservative. Dan Dakich played for Bobby Knight at Indiana and coached for him. So we know they'll be well coached, fundamentally sound and they'll play good man-to-man defense."
Maestri said the Falcons, 2-5 going into Saturday night's in Mobile against Florida State in the Coors Classic, will be more like a Sun Belt Conference opponent.
"This will be good experience for our league," he said. "They will have good basketball players."
Bowling Green has averaged 19 wins over the last seven seasons.
Monday's game will be the fourth straight away from home in December for the Falcons. They played at Bradley and Arkansas-Little Rock before the Alabama swing.
Bowling Green's touted freshman guard, Brian Moten (6-4, 175), has missed the early part of the season. He is a 2004 graduate of Arthur Hills High School in Saginaw, Mich., where he averaged 28 points, six rebounds and three assists as a senior. He averaged 35 points per game last spring at Eldon Academy in Petoskey, Michigan.
The Falcons and Trojans have never played in basketball. Maestri expects full-court pressure.
"Bowling Green is a very solid, fundamental defensive team. They will pressure all over the court," he said. "How we handle pressure will mean a lot in determining the outcome of the game. They have one of the top three-point shooters in the country in Martin Samarco. We will have to be aware of him at all times. They are very well-balanced on offense, with three players averaging double figures and another three over seven. This is another team whose record is deceptive at 2-5. They had a big win at Virginia Tech early in the year. They come from a one of the better basketball leagues in the country. This is a solid program in a solid league."
Troy improved to 4-3 Thursday night with a 71-53 victory over Alabama State.
Troy coach Don Maestri said he expects the Falcons to be a much more physical opponent than the Trojans have played.
"It will be a pretty different game for us," Maestri said. "They're a team from the MAC. They play a different style of basketball - very physical, more conservative. Dan Dakich played for Bobby Knight at Indiana and coached for him. So we know they'll be well coached, fundamentally sound and they'll play good man-to-man defense."
Maestri said the Falcons, 2-5 going into Saturday night's in Mobile against Florida State in the Coors Classic, will be more like a Sun Belt Conference opponent.
"This will be good experience for our league," he said. "They will have good basketball players."
Bowling Green has averaged 19 wins over the last seven seasons.
Monday's game will be the fourth straight away from home in December for the Falcons. They played at Bradley and Arkansas-Little Rock before the Alabama swing.
Bowling Green's touted freshman guard, Brian Moten (6-4, 175), has missed the early part of the season. He is a 2004 graduate of Arthur Hills High School in Saginaw, Mich., where he averaged 28 points, six rebounds and three assists as a senior. He averaged 35 points per game last spring at Eldon Academy in Petoskey, Michigan.
The Falcons and Trojans have never played in basketball. Maestri expects full-court pressure.
"Bowling Green is a very solid, fundamental defensive team. They will pressure all over the court," he said. "How we handle pressure will mean a lot in determining the outcome of the game. They have one of the top three-point shooters in the country in Martin Samarco. We will have to be aware of him at all times. They are very well-balanced on offense, with three players averaging double figures and another three over seven. This is another team whose record is deceptive at 2-5. They had a big win at Virginia Tech early in the year. They come from a one of the better basketball leagues in the country. This is a solid program in a solid league."
