The Sun Belt Tournament kicked off Tuesday, March 3, for its sixth straight season in Pensacola, marking the last time the Texas State Bobcats will compete in the SBC tournament.
With emotions running high, the team looks to get over that hump and punch their ticket to the March Madness Tournament for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Texas State (19-12) sits at eighth in Sun Belt with a 11-7 conference record in a six-way tie with Marshall, Coastal Carolina, App State, South Alabama and Arkansas State. However the Sun Belt Conference this year was far from predictable, with the top 10 teams having an overall record of .500 or better.
“It is too hard to find out who the best team is [and] the winner of this conference is going to have six or seven losses, that’s too much parity,” said head coach Terrence Johnson. “We’re going to play who we’re scheduled to play and give it our all.”
The 5th seeded Bobcats:
The Bobcats have shown ability to compete with any team in the conference this year, ranked fourth best in the conference on defense and second best for team field goal percentage. Also the team sits alone at the top of the steals category, averaging almost nine steals per game. But stats aren’t the true tale of how a team is performing.
Players like D.J. Hall, Kyndall Davis and Mark Drone will need to continue their strong play, but role players like Franck Emmou and Kaden Gumbs will be forced to step up to give the Bobcats a fighting chance. Like exactly what they did during those win streaks.
However, the team may find some struggles in one particular category, the three point line. Ranked dead last in three pointers made, the Bobcats have only made 149 total three pointers.
Despite the team being so dominant on defense and efficient at scoring, the three pointers could be an issue.
But as shown on display against App State, where the Mountaineers shot 5-29, three point shooting won’t always be a guarantee to a victory. If Texas State can clean up their percentage from beyond the arc while still maintaining its level of skill, the Bobcats could see themselves on a run.
The top four:
Troy, App State, Marshall and Coastal Carolina made their way to the top of the Sun Belt even though three out of the four teams have the same record as the Bobcats.
Top seeded Troy split the season series with Texas State and look to repeat at tournament champs. The Trojans hold the number three spot on offense in the conference but have shown inconsistency all season. Particularly in the loss against Texas State, Troy shot 17-47 from the field resulting in a 74-62 Bobcat win.
The Marshall Thundering Herd led the Sun Belt in three-point percentage and shots made, while also holding the second spot on total offense in the conference. However, the defensive side for Marshall will be the question mark in the tournament. The Thundering Herd is ranked 12th in the conference on defense giving up almost 80 points per game.
Coastal Carolina, a team that went 10-22 last season went from prey to predator in a span of a season and is now in a good position to advance to the championship game. The Chanticleers beat Marshall twice, App State and Texas State once. The team’s defense will be something that will keep them in games but the unpredictable offense could hold the team back from succeeding.
Lastly in the top four is App State, who last lost its game to the Bobcats. Being the number one defensive team in the conference, App State will seek vengeance for their last regular season game loss. If Texas State beats the winner of game five, App State will be waiting to get their rematch with the Bobcats.
The Middle of the pack:
South Alabama and Arkansas State , the remaining teams that are part of the six-way tie, have the top overall records in the conference. South Alabama did lose the season series to Texas State but beat the Red Wolves twice this year. Also beating Troy, Coastal Carolina and James Madison, the Jaguars are not underdogs this year.
The Red Wolves are the number one offensive team in the conference and are seventh in rebounds in all of college basketball. The Red Wolves are also riding a four game win streak to end the season, the hottest streak in the conference.
Southern Miss comes in as the eighth seed but can find themselves a couple games away from the semi-finals based on how its season went. Having the number two scorer in the conference, Tylik Weeks, the Golden Eagles chances all depend on the offensive efficiency. Ranked 5th in field goal percentage but dead last in three-point percentage, Southern Miss could be early exits or a surprise for a couple of teams.
Ninth seed James Madison is no stranger to proving people wrong. This is the first time the Dukes are ranked this low in seeding in the Sun Belt tournament ever. JMU will need to rely heavily on their three-point shooting like they did when they cruised by the Bobcats by 25 points, where the Dukes made 14 three-pointers and won that game by the biggest margin all season.
The bottom five:
Old Dominion knocked off ULM and Louisiana beat Georgia State in the first round of the tournament.
The 10th seed Georgia Southern is the last team in the conference to have a winning record.
For these programs to making it past the second round could be difficult as the line they walk is the toughest path out of all the teams in the Sun Belt.
The Bobcats look to end its final season in the Sun Belt conference with a bang, only needing to beat three teams before reaching the Sun Belt Championship.
Texas State’s first game will be in the fourth round of the tournament and is set for 5 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Pensacola Bay Center. The opponent is currently undetermined.
The games will be available to stream on ESPN+ and the championship game on ESPN2.
