Texas State men’s basketball (14-17, 7-11 Sun Belt Conference) finished the regular season seeded at the 11th spot and is set to play in the first round against the 14th seed Old Dominion (7-24, 3-15 Sun Belt Conference) in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Both teams met in the second round last year, which concluded in a 65-36 Texas State victory. It was the worst loss in the Monarchs’ Sun Belt tournament history.
The Bobcats ended the season on a three-game winning streak and a six-game home streak, with one of those wins being against Troy, who currently sits at the 3rd seed in the tournament.
“Traditionally, we’ve been pretty good in February by taking a 1-0 approach,” Texas State Head Coach Terrance Johnson said. “The leaders of this team will emerge as leaders.”
For the men’s team to succeed and go far in the tournament, they must take better shots. The Bobcats are currently last in scoring in the Sun Belt, averaging 68.22 points per game.
They also tied for last in three-point field goals made. A total of 79 were made on 240 attempts, 22 made below the rank ahead of them.
Given those downsides, the Bobcats have excelled in other areas. They are second in defensive rebounding and have a top-five scoring defense that only allows 71.33 points per game.
“We went through the adversity some teams are still going through,” Johnson said. “I think the doors have been opening up, and they are becoming the ruler of their own fate.”
Tip-off between Texas State and Old Dominion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 5, at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
