The Troy Trojans drew the No. 14 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday and will face off against the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats on Friday in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Fresh off their Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship last week, the Trojans now set their sights on their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. The matchup with the Wildcats will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2017 and just the second time ever the two sides have played. Kentucky won the only other matchup between the two It’s also the first time the two teams have ever met in the postseason.

The Wildcats are coming off a 22-11 season record, falling to Alabama in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals this weekend, while Troy ran the table in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to win its first tournament crown since 2017.

Troy held a special NCAA Selection Sunday Watch Party at Baumhower’s in Troy, which was packed to the gills with Trojan fans.

“It was phenomenal,” Troy Coach Scott Cross said of the Watch Party. “We come here all the time, all the TVs and the chicken wings, it’s kind of what you think about when you think about Selection Sunday. All the fans were here and T-Roy and the cheerleaders and (the media) were all here. It’s pretty awesome. It’s been a dream of mine to have something like this.”

Sun Belt Player of the Year Tayton Conerway said the moment Troy was announced during the selection show was a special one for him.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Conerway said. “It was crazy. I didn’t really see too much who we were playing but just seeing ‘Troy’ come across the screen was a surreal moment. Then, putting Kentucky as the opponent on top of that is special.”

Dothan native Thomas Dowd said it was special for him for a number of reasons.

“Being from Dothan, when I decided what I wanted to do was play basketball a lot of people told me, ‘Who do you know from Dothan that made it playing basketball? You should focus on something else,'” Down remembered. “I felt like being able to prove them wrong, for myself but also for other kids in the Dothan area looking up at me maybe to inspire them, it’s really amazing and a blessing.”

The NCAA Tournament is something that Cross has been building to during his tenure at Troy and he made sure to remember some of the players that helped the program get to this point.

“I still go back to that first year, we won nine games and then 11 games the next,” Cross said. “It’s been a long, long road but I’m forever thankful for the players like Nick Stampley and Khalyl Waters and Zay WIlliams. A lot of those guys helped build the culture for what we have here now.

“It didn’t happen over night. We’ve been able to build a little bit of consistency over the last four years and it culminated in a championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.”

Troy Athletic Director Brent Jones echoed Cross’ sentiments and said championships are the standard with Troy Basketball again.

“Scott has really built this program brick by brick, year by year,” Jones emphasized. “The first two years, looking at the wins, and then year three you could see it flip. I knew the work he was putting in those first two years.

“So, to be able to flip the roster and the culture and to be able to have four straight seasons of 20 wins is incredible, but the standard is to win championships and to be able to be in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years is incredible and to be able to play Kentucky is even more exciting.”

While Cross is aware of the tough task ahead against Kentucky, he’s very confident in his team.

“I’ve watched a little bit of Kentucky, so I know they’re a super talented team,” said Cross. “There’s no matchup that’s going to be great but we’re excited and are looking forward to going up to Milwaukee.

“I know they’ve had a lot of injuries and some of the other teams (in the SEC) have played a little bit better but they’re all going to be tough matchups (in the tournament). Typically, every year there will be a 14 seed that wins and I think we’re the best of the 14 seeds. So, let’s go out there and shock the world. They’re all good teams but when we’re playing our best basketball we can play at that level, no doubt.”