Sun Belt foes will collide when the Texas State Bobcats (12-15) take on the Troy Trojans (9-20) at Strahan Coliseum. Action gets underway at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Bobcats are hoping for a better outcome after their 75-69 loss to UT Arlington on Tuesday. Ojai Black had a solid performance, recording 13 points, eight assists, and three rebounds for Texas State. The Trojans, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 66-51 loss at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Jordan Varnado had a solid game for Troy, recording 16 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
Over the last five games, Emani Gant has taken his game to another level for the Bobcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 block.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Trojans won the first game 66-57. Wesley Person was a top performer in the victory with 23 points, two rebounds, three assists, and four three-pointers.
The Bobcats enter the game with records of 12-15 Straight Up (SU) and 11-10 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. The Texas State defense has been very good, only giving up 64.7 points per game. Texas State’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 6.0 three-pointers per game.
In the other locker room, the Trojans have 9-20 SU and 10-17 ATS records. During the last 10 games, they averaged 62.5 PPG, below their 70.1 PPG season average. The Trojans average 74.5 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 67.1 points per game during that span.
Troy won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the win was not enough to overtake Texas State in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-3 SU over the most recent meetings. At 2-2-1, they are even ATS. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – TxSt, ATS Winner – TxSt
Notes
Troy averages 70.1 points per game, placing the team just 193rd in the nation. Texas State ranks 24th in points allowed, giving up 64.7 points per game.
The Texas State Bobcats have a defensive rating of 99.8 (ranked 74th), while the Troy Trojans have an offensive rating of 100.5 (ranked 274th).
The Texas State Bobcats average a field goal percentage of 42.2% this season. The Troy Trojans have an underachieving record of 3-15 when opponents have a FG% of 42.2% or greater.
The Texas State Bobcats rank higher based on their field goal percentage (265th) than their effective field goal percentage (308th). The Troy Trojans rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (290th) than their field goal percentage (295th).
The Texas State Bobcats average 6.0 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the Troy Trojans have a poor record (5-12) this season.
