The Troy men’s basketball team is off to a tough conference start in 2015.

After a 1-2 run in their first three games, the Trojans (6-7, 1-3) faced the cream of the Sun Belt crop Saturday in Georgia State, losing 77-72.

Thursday night in Monroe, La., it won’t get any easier as the Trojans visit ULM.

The Warhawks (9-6, 3-1), sitting one spot behind the Panthers at third place in the conference, will prove another tough test for Troy.

One positive for the Trojans is the return of Musa Abdul-Aleem.

After missing the Jan. 5 game against UT-Arlington with the flu, Abdul-Aleem came back in a huge way for the Trojans Saturday, scoring a career-high 33 points, including seven 3-pointers.

And freshman sensation Wesley Person continued his hot shooting with 17 points.

Person currently leads all freshman in the nation, averaging 2.9 3-pointers a game. Both Person and Abdul-Aleem rank third and fourth in the nation in scoring, respectively.

The Trojans will need all of that offense Thursday against a highly touted ULM defense.

The Warhawks are currently allowing opponents to shoot just 37.8 percent from the field, the best mark in the Sun Belt, and also lead the conference in blocked shots with 5.1 blocks a game.

Marvin Williams, who earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on Monday, has led ULM in scoring in each of its last three games.

Most recently in a 62-59 win over Texas State, Williams scored a team-high 18 points including shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the field.

After their win against the Bobcats, ULM will carry a three-game winning streak in to Thursday’s contest.

The Trojans lead the overall series against the Warhawks, 9-3.

In the two teams’ previous matchup, Troy left Monroe with a 61-46 win.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.