Following a season-long three-game road stretch, the Troy men’s basketball team will return to Trojan Arena Thursday night to face off with in-state rival South Alabama.

The Trojans (9-13, 4-9) come into Thursday’s game fresh off a last-minute 65-62 loss to Appalachian State. Prior to the loss, Troy had won two-straight games and was jockeying for a position in the Sun Belt Conference tournament in March.

Currently, Troy is tied with Arkansas State for ninth in the conference standings, while South Alabama occupies eighth place and one of the final spots in the tournament if it started now.

A win over the Jaguars (7-17, 5-8) could go a long way for the Trojans to extend their season into March and possibly April.

The Trojans are led in scoring by Musa Abdul-Aleem, who is averaging 15 points a game going into Thursday’s contest.

On the boards, Kevin Thomas leads Troy with 7.7 rebounds a game. Last week against Appalachian State, Thomas earned his 12th career double-double with 16 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor, and 11 rebounds.

Troy’s biggest outside threat, freshman Wesley Person, is fourth amongst freshmen in the nation in 3-pointers made per game.

South Alabama (7-17, 5-8) comes into Thursday off of a 65-54 loss to Georgia State.

The Jaguars are led in scoring by Ken Williams, who averages 14.9 points a game.

Last year, Troy and South Alabama split their series with each team winning at home.

Tipoff between the Trojans and Jaguars is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Trojan Arena.