Troy plays James Madison following Valdes’ 22-point showing

By Canadian Press on January 28, 2026.

James Madison Dukes (10-11, 3-6 Sun Belt) at Troy Trojans (15-6, 8-1 Sun Belt)

Troy, Alabama; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Troy hosts James Madison after Victor Valdes scored 22 points in Troy’s 83-78 victory against the Georgia Southern Eagles.

The Trojans are 7-1 on their home court. Troy leads the Sun Belt averaging 86.5 points and is shooting 46.2%.

The Dukes have gone 3-6 against Sun Belt opponents. James Madison ranks seventh in the Sun Belt with 9.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Eli Wilborn averaging 1.7.

Troy averages 10.3 made 3-pointers per game, 2.6 more made shots than the 7.7 per game James Madison allows. James Madison averages 9.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.7 more made shots on average than the 7.9 per game Troy allows.

The Trojans and Dukes match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Cobi Campbell averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Trojans, scoring 10.6 points while shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc. Valdes is shooting 39.8% and averaging 16.2 points over the last 10 games.

Justin McBride is scoring 17.3 points per game and averaging 5.8 rebounds for the Dukes. Cliff Davis is averaging 13.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Trojans: 9-1, averaging 83.5 points, 34.3 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.7 points per game.

Dukes: 3-7, averaging 74.8 points, 35.0 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 4.3 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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