The Troy men’s and women’s basketball teams head into conference play against Coastal Carolina.

Both the Troy men’s and women’s basketball programs enter conference play with a lot of momentum. The Trojan men enters Thursday’s game with a record of 7-5, while the women are off to their best start in their Division-I history with a 9-2 record.

Both teams will take on the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Conference Opener. The men will host the Chanticleers, while the women will head to Conway, South Carolina.

The men will ride a four-game winning streak into conference play. In the month of December, the Trojans have knocked off former conference rival Western Kentucky and UAB for the first time in program history. They also knocked off Carver College and Arkansas Pine Bluff in December.

Senior Jordon Varnado leads the Trojans with 17 points per game, while also averaging over seven rebounds per game.

Fellow senior Alex Hicks is right behind Varnado with 12.5 points while averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. Hicks is coming off a double-double in Troy’s win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Hicks scored 18 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.

The Troy Women’s basketball team is coming off a convincing 89-63 win over in-state rival Jacksonville State on Saturday. Amber Rivers was one of two Trojans to score in double figures with 20 points. Shaterrika O’Neal scored 11 points in the Troy’s win.

The Trojans have two players averaging double-digits when it comes to scoring. Rivers averages 13.1 points per game, while Kayla Robinson averages 10.5.

The Trojans lead the nation in rebounding with over 53 rebounds per game. They have also been the best in the country in creating second-chance points.

The Trojan men will tip-off against the Chanticleers beginning at 6 p.m. The Trojan women will begin play at 5 p.m. in Conway.