SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team closes out its two-game Sun Belt Conference homestand this Saturday when the Bobcats host Arkansas State in Strahan Arena. The game tips off at 4 p.m.  ESPN+ will televise the game and it can be heard on AM 1300 in Austin and the Texas State Sports Network at www.tunein.com.
 
Texas State enters the game with a 15-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Sun Belt Conference play after winning its third straight Sun Belt game against Little Rock (80-62) Thursday night. The win came after the Bobcats won a pair of road games at Coastal Carolina (65-61 on Jan. 10) and at Appalachian State (70-69 on Jan. 12). Arkansas State is 8-10 this season and 2-3 in the Sun Belt after dropping a 68-59 decision at UTA on Thursday night.
 
THE HEAD COACHES
Danny Kaspar is among the five winningest coaches at Texas State after capturing his 89th victory at the school. Kaspar ranks 22nd among NCAA Division I active head coaches with a 554-284 career record.
 
Mike Balado has a 19-31 career record and is in his second season at Arkansas State. Balado began his head coaching career with the Red Wolves after serving 15 years as an assistant coach, his last four seasons at Louisville. He also was an assistant coach at Florida International.
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
Texas State enters Saturday's game ranked No. 22 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll after moving up two spots in this week's poll. This marks the fifth straight week that the Bobcats have been ranked in the poll. In addition to last week's No. 24 ranking, Texas State was ranked No. 20 on Dec. 17, and No. 21 on Dec. 24 and 31
 
The 15-3 record is Texas State's best start for a single season since 1959-60 when Texas State won a NAIA national championship.
 
Texas State enters the Arkansas State game with a 7-1 record in home games this season, including a 2-1 mark against Sun Belt Conference teams. The Bobcats split their first two Sun Belt games against Georgia Southern and Georgia State before their win against Little Rock. Texas State won its first five home games with victories over Air Force, Harding Simmons, Rice, Houston Baptist and Howard Payne.
 
Nijal Pearson ranks ninth among Sun Belt Conference leaders in scoring with 17.8 points per game. He is the third-best three-point shooter in the league with a .425 (51-120) percentage.  Pearson is 11th in field goal percentage with a .449 (118-263) percentage and 12th in steals with 1.4 per game.
 
Tre'Larenz Nottingham averages 13.7 points per game to rank 18th among the league's scoring leaders after netting 24 points against Little Rock. Nottingham is 14th among Sun Belt steals leaders with 1.3 per game.
 
Alex Peacock ranks ninth among the Sun Belt's rebounding with a 6.9 average. His 2.8 assist average is tied for 15th among league leaders.
 
Jaylen Shead leads the Sun Belt Conference in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.6 assists per turnover. His 4.9 assists per game ranks third among league leaders.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE >>
Arkansas State enters Saturday's game averaging 74.3 points per game and surrendering 76.7 per contest. The Red Wolves rank fourth among Sun Belt Conference teams in free throw percentage with 73.1 percent (302-413) and are second in the league in free throw attempts. The Red Wolves also shoot 34.5 percent behind the three-point arc and 41.7 percent from the field.
 
A-State leads the Sun Belt in rebounding at 39.2 rebounds per game and is 7-3 this season when out-rebounding their opponent.  
 
Senior Ty Cockfield leads the Sun Belt in scoring with 20.9 points per game and has eleven 20-point outings this season. He also has scored in double figures during 40 of his 50 career games and tallied 31 points in an overtime loss against Troy.
 
Junior forwards Malik Brevard and Salif Boudie lead the Red Wolves and rank No. 14 and 15 among the Sun Belt's rebounding leaders with 6.1 and 5.9 rebounds per game, respectively.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. THE RED WOLVES
Texas State enters Saturday's game with a 5-3 series record against Arkansas State after the Bobcats won a 73-67 decision in Jonesboro on Jan. 11, 2018. The Bobcats have won the last five meetings between the two schools after Arkansas State began the series with three straight wins. Texas State has a 3-1 record versus the Red Wolves in Strahan Arena.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE BOBCATS
Following the Arkansas State game, Texas State will travel to Georgia State on Jan. 24 and Georgia Southern on Jan. 26.