Coming off an 84-67 exhibition victory over West Alabama, Troy sets its sights on the first game that will count in the standings.

The Trojans travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech tonight in each teams season opener at 8:30.

Troy will open its 30th season under head coach Don Maestri and 31st with assistant coach David Felix.

The Trojans return just three players from last year’s team with nine newcomers suiting up against the Red Raiders.

All-Sun Belt point guard Will Weathers is one of the three returning for Troy. Weathers led the league last season with 6.6 assists per game and 1.9 steals. The 6.6 assists placed Weathers sixth in the nation in that category.

The Trojans new fast paced defense forced 28 turnovers against West Alabama while the team collected 22 offensive rebounds.

Troy and Texas Tech have never met of the basketball court. Troy is 0-3 all-time against Big 12 opponents. Kansas State was the Trojans last matchup form that conference. The Wildcats won 64-60 in the 2001-02 season.

Billy Gillispie will occupy the bench for the first time as the Red Raiders head coach. Gillispie coached a combined seven seasons at UTEP, Texas A&M and Kentucky.

The game can be heard on Troy’s flagship station WTBF-FM 94.7. Live stats and audio are also available at the Trojans athletic website www.troytrojans.com.

Troy will return home Sunday to open the 50th and final season at Sartain Hall against LaGrange College.