Texas State men’s basketball is aiming to have a bounce-back season after finishing below .500 in consecutive seasons. During the 2023-24 season, the Bobcats went 17-18 overall, 7-11 in conference play and lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
As a team, Texas State shot 44% from the field, 32.6% from the three point line and 69.6% from the free throw line. The Bobcats averaged 69.9 points per game while allowing 70.1 points per game. Opponents shot 43.7% from the field, 32% from three and 72.7% from the free throw line.
Entering the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament, the Bobcats were the 11th seed. They proceeded to win three straight games and made it to the conference semi-finals but lost to James Madison by five points. Former Texas State guard Jordan Mason averaged a team-high 12.9 points per game while shooting 38.5% from the field and 29.5% from three-point range.
The Bobcats are going into the 2024-25 season without three key players from last season. Forward Brandon Love and guards Jordan Mason and Davion Sykes all left via the transfer portal.
Love averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 54.9% from the field. Sykes averaged 11.2 points per game last season while shooting 49.7% from the field and averaging 6.9 rebounds per game.
After losing three key players, the Bobcats added three new players to improve the team and help aim for a conference championship. JUCO junior transfer Austin Green committed to the team and looks to make an immediate impact. He averaged 18.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season at Pearl River Community College.
Nevada transfer Tylan Pope looks to bring a major spark to the Bobcats. After missing the first ten games of the season, he averaged 3.6 points per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Junior transfer Bessanty Saragba played the 2023-24 season at Ellsworth Community College and is joining Texas State. The forward averaged 6.2 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field.
The season opens for the Bobcats on Nov. 4 during the MAC-SBC Challenge against Eastern Michigan University, who finished with a record of 13-18 last season. The team will travel to Fort Worth a week later to face Big 12 opponent Texas Christian University who finished with a record of 21-13 last season and was a ninth seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Bobcats start Sun Belt Conference play against Georgia Southern University on Dec. 21 in San Marcos. Texas State will hope to beat James Madison in a key matchup on Feb. 28, as they lost both meetings against them last season. James Madison was the only team in the entire Sun Belt Conference to make the NCAA tournament last season.
Texas State is looking to bounce back in conference play after dropping the first four games and finishing with a conference record of 7-11.
With all the returners from last year and transfers that have been brought in, the Bobcats look to put the old seasons in the past and achieve a successful 2024-25 season.
