Texas State Men’s Basketball Travels To Coastal Carolina

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball team begins a two-game road trip Thursday night when the Bobcats travel to Coastal Carolina for the first of two Sun Belt Conference games.

The game tips off at 6 p.m. (Central), and be broadcast on ESPN+. It can be heard on AM 1300 in Austin and on the Texas State Sports Network at www.tunein.com.

The Bobcats enter the game at Coastal Carolina with a 12-3 overall record and are 1-1 in Sun Belt play, while Coastal Carolina is 7-7 and 1-1 in Sun Belt contests. Following the Coastal Carolina contest, Texas State plays Appalachian State on Saturday afternoon.

Texas State enters Thursday night’s game ranked No. 24 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll after opening the season with its best start since 1980-81, a span of 38 years.

The Bobcats look to rebound from its third loss of the season, a 73-69 setback against Georgia State last Saturday in San Marcos. It was the first loss in a home game for the Bobcats this season. Texas State began its Sun Belt schedule with a 73-70 victory over Georgia Southern on Jan. 3.

The Bobcats enter the Coastal Carolina game with a 4-2 record in road games this season. Texas State won road games at Portland, UTSA, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UT Rio Grande Valley.  The two losses were at Drake and Arkansas.

Nijal Pearson ranks eighth among Sun Belt Conference leaders in scoring with 18.2 points per game. He is the third-best three-point shooter in the league with a .450 (45-100) percentage.  Pearson is 11th with 1.5 steals per game with one less steal.

Tre’Larenz Nottingham averages 13.3 points per game to rank 20th among the league’s scoring leaders. Nottingham also is 10th among steals leaders with 1.5 per game.

Alex Peacock ranks sixth among the Sun Belt’s rebounding with a 7.4 average. His 2.9 assist average is tied for 13th among league leaders.

Jaylen Shead averages 5.0 assists per game and ranks second among Sun Belt Conference leaders.

COMPARING TEXAS STATE AND COASTAL CAROLINA

Thursday night will feature two of the top defensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Texas State leads the league and ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense after surrendering 61.3 points per game. Coastal Carolina is fourth, giving up 70.4 points.

The Bobcats lead the league in field goal percentage defense with a .382 percentage, while the Chanticleers are second with a .410 percentage. In three-point percentage defense, Texas State is second at 29.4 percent while Coastal Carolina is third at 30.1 percent.

On the offensive end, Coastal Carolina ranks fifth among Sun Belt teams in scoring offense with 77.4 points per game, while Texas State is eighth at 76.5.

The Bobcats and Chanticleers both shoot 47.0 percent from the field, while Coastal Carolina ranks second among Sun Belt leaders in three-point shooting with 40.4 percent. Texas State ranks eighth in the Sun Belt with 36.0 percent beyond the three-point arc.

SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA

Coastal Carolina is led by Zac Cuthbertson, who ranks fifth among Sun Belt leaders in scoring with 19.3 points per game and leads the league in rebounding and ranks 46th nationally with a 9.0 average. He also ranks 10th in assists with 3.1 per game.

Amidou Bamba averages 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and ranks seventh among Sun Belt leaders with 1/1 blocked shots.

Trevion Brown ranks among the Sun Belt’s top 15 assists leaders with a 2.8 average. He also is scoring 8.3 points per game.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. THE CHANTICLEERS

Texas State enters Thursday night’s game with a 4-2 series record against Coastal Carolina after winning three of the last four games against the Chanticleers.

The Bobcats are looking to win their third straight game in Conway after posting wins on Jan. 28, 2017 (52-50) and Dec. 31, 2017 (53-48). Texas State also won a 73-66 decision in the Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans on Mar. 7, 2018.

The series began with Texas State winning 74-58 at the 1996 Ball State Cardinal Varsity Club Classic Nov. 30 1996 in Muncie, Ind.

Coastal Carolina’s two wins came at San Marcos, 60-53 on Jan. 2, 2017, and 56-54 in overtime Feb. 1, 2018.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE BOBCATS

Following the Coastal Carolina game, Texas State travels to Appalachian State for a Sun Belt Conference game that begins at 1 p.m. (Central) in Boone, N. C. The Mountaineers are 5-10 overall with a 0-2 record in Sun Belt contests this season heading into Thursday night’s contest against UTA.