Amid an off-season full of questions, the loss of an all-time player and an investigation into a former head coach, Texas State men’s basketball released its Sun Belt Conference schedule Oct. 1 for the 2020-21 season.
The maroon and gold will open conference play against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Dec. 31 for a New Year’s Eve game at Strahan Arena. Following the New Year’s Eve game, the Bobcats will host Arkansas State University for an afternoon matchup Jan. 2.
The team will complete in conference Feb. 27 when they face the rival University of Texas at Arlington at Strahan Arena. The Sun Belt Conference tournament will begin March 5 at Pensacola State College and the Bay Center Arena.
The maroon and gold are coming off a season in which they finished 13-7 in conference play and 21-11 overall. After a key win last season in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament against Appalachian State, the Bobcats were set to play the No. 2 ranked South Alabama University before it was announced the season would be canceled due to COVID-19.
This season, Texas State will be without guard Nijal Pearson, the all-time leading scorer for the Bobcats. Key players, such as junior guard Mason Harrell, junior forward Alonzo Sule and senior forward Isiah Small, who logged important minutes for the Bobcats last year, will return.
Leading the Bobcats is newly appointed interim Head Coach Terrence Johnson. Johnson has been with the team since 2015 under former Head Coach Danny Kaspar, who resigned months after he was accused of making racist remarks to former players on the team.
The non-conference schedule will be released at a later date.
Full conference schedule:
· Dec. 31 versus Little Rock, San Marcos, Texas.
· Jan. 2 versus Arkansas State, San Marcos, Texas.
· Jan. 7 at Troy, Troy, Alabama.
· Jan. 9 at South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama.
· Jan. 14 versus Louisiana Monroe, San Marcos, Texas.
· Jan. 16 versus Louisiana, San Marcos, Texas.
· Jan. 18 at UT Arlington, Arlington, Texas.
· Jan. 21 at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas.
· Jan. 23 at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Arkansas.
· Jan. 28 versus Troy, San Marcos, Texas.
· Jan. 30 versus South Alabama, San Marcos, Texas.
· Feb. 4 at Coastal Carolina, Conway, South Carolina.
· Feb. 6 at Appalachian State, Boone, North Carolina.
· Feb. 11 versus Georgia Southern, San Marcos, Texas.
· Feb. 13 versus Georgia State, San Marcos, Texas.
· Feb. 18 at Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana.
· Feb. 20 versus Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana.
· Feb. 27 versus UT Arlington, San Marcos, Texas.