Texas State men’s basketball (13-6 overall, 7-3 Sun Belt) will look to stay atop the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference against conference-rival University of Texas at Arlington (11-9 overall, 7-5 Sun Belt).
The Bobcats and Mavericks will face off two times in three days, first on Feb. 11 in Arlington, then on Feb. 13 in San Marcos.
Both teams have win streaks on the line. Texas State enters the series winning two in a row while UTA has won three in a row. Currently, the Bobcats hold a two-game advantage over the Mavericks, who are tied for second in the Sun Belt, but Texas State has played two fewer conference games than UTA.
The Mavericks rank slightly higher in the conference on offense, ranking No. 6 at 74.8 points per game compared to the Bobcats at No. 10 with 66.8 points per game. Texas State plays a slow-paced, grind-it-out offense that results in the third-highest overall field goal percentage in the conference at 46.9%. UTA is 10th in field goal percentage at 41.1% but picks up more points from long range, making 3.6 more threes a game than the Bobcats.
Texas State has been able to separate itself this season on the defensive end. The Bobcats are holding opponents to an average of just 62.4 points, the fewest in the Sun Belt. UTA ranks No. 8 in scoring defense and holds opponents to 69.6 points per game.
The Mavericks have two players in the top 10 in scoring, junior guard Shahada Wells (16.4) and sophomore guard Sam Griffin (14.4). Griffin and Wells are No. 4 and No. 11, respectively, in the Sun Belt in threes made.
UTA does not look to any one player to get the job done on the boards, as five players average four or more rebounds, led by sophomore forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu with 5.9 per game.
Texas State is led offensively by junior guard Mason Harrell (13.8 points), junior guard Caleb Asberry (12.9 points) and senior forward Isiah Small (10.2 points). Together the trio accounts for more than half of the Bobcats’ offense. In addition to being the leading scorers, all three players are efficient from the field, shooting over 45% from the field and 40% from deep.
Small is also the leading rebounder for Texas State with 5.5 per game, followed by senior guard Shelby Adams with 4.2.
The first game tips off at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11 in College Park Center and can be streamed on ESPN+.