SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team (16-3, 5-1) looks to avenge their only loss in Sun Belt play this season when it plays at Georgia State (14-5-5-1) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the GSU Sports Arena. ESPN+ will televise the game and fans can listen to Bill Culhane describe the action on AM 1300 in Austin and the Texas State Sports Network at www.tunein.com.

The Texas State coaching staff will participate in this week's Suits and Sneakers Week during the game. The Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission and promote the American Cancer Society as a place for help and support.
 
In addition, Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter will coach the game in his bare feet to raise awareness for to raise awareness for Samaritans Feet, which is on a mission to distribute one million pairs of shoes to children all around the world in 2019.
 
THE HEAD COACHES >>
Danny Kaspar is among the five winningest coaches at Texas State after capturing his 90th victory against Arkansas State. Kaspar ranks 22nd among NCAA Division I active head coaches with a 554-284 career record.
 
Ron Hunter is in his eighth season at Georgia State and has a 161-90 record at the school. Hunter is in his 25th season as a head coach and enters Thursday's game with a 435-309 career record.
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE >>
Texas State enters Thursday's game looking to win its fifth straight game after defeating Arkansas State 77-64 last Saturday in Strahan Arena. Nijal Pearson recorded his first double-double of the season with 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead three players in double figures. Tre'Larenz Nottingham netted 13 and Alex Peacock added 10 for the Bobcats.
 
Texas State's 16-3 record is the best start for the Bobcats since 1959-60, a span of 59 years, when the Bobcats opened that year with a 21-3 record in route to a NAIA national championship. The 16 wins also surpass last season's win total.
 
The Bobcats have a 5-1 Sun Belt Conference for the second straight season and second time since joining the league in 2013. Texas State opened the 2017-18 campaign with a 6-1 mark versus Sun Belt teams.
 
Texas State received two votes in this week's USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll marking the first time the Bobcats have received votes in the poll this season. Texas State is ranked No. 17 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll after moving up five spots in this week's poll. This marks the sixth straight week that the Bobcats have been ranked, and the No. 17 ranking is the its highest in the poll.

Nijal Pearson ranks ninth among Sun Belt Conference leaders in scoring with 18.4 points per game. He is the second-best three-point shooter in the league with a .425 (54-127) percentage.  Pearson is 11th in field goal percentage with a .448 (125-279) percentage and 14th in steals with 1.3 per game.
 
Tre'Larenz Nottingham averages 13.6 points per game to rank 17th among the league's scoring leaders. Nottingham is third in three-point shooting with 33.8 percent and ninth among Sun Belt steals leaders with 1.4 per game.
 
Alex Peacock ranks 11th among the Sun Belt's rebounding with a 6.7 average.
 
Jaylen Shead leads the Sun Belt Conference in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.5 assists per turnover. His 4.8 assists per game ranks third among league leaders.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE >>
Georgia State has won seven of its last eight games after falling 77-75 at Troy last Saturday. The loss Snapped a 17-game winning streak during the month of January dating back to 2015-16.
 
The Panthers have beaten two Power Five Conference teams in one season (Georgia and Alabama) for the just the second time in school history. The first time was in 2000-01 when Georgia State opened the season beating Georgia and defeated Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Georgia State leads the league with 183 three-point field goals made and is third in three-point percentage with .389 (183-470).
 
The Panthers lead the league in steals (8.2) and rank second in the league in blocked shots (4.7) per game.
 
Preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year D'Marcus Simonds leads Georgia State and ranks sixth among Sun Belt scoring leaders with 19.7 points per game.
 
Simonds and Kane Williams lead the Panthers with 3.7 assists per game.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. PANTHERS >>
Texas State enters Thursday night's game looking to win its third road game at Georgia State in a series that began Dec. 16, 1992. The Bobcats won road games in Atlanta on Dec. 15, 1993 (79-73) and Jan. 5, 2015 (77-74, 2OT).
 
The Bobcats have a 4-9 overall series record against the Panthers after dropping a 73-69 decision Jan. 5 in San Marcos. TXST has a 2-4 mark in games at Georgia State. 
 
Texas State's other two wins came in San Marcos Dec. 16, 1992 (73-62) and at the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Mar. 10, 2016 (63-61) in New Orleans. 
 
UP NEXT FOR THE BOBCATS >>
Following the Georgia State game, Texas State will travel to Georgia Southern on Jan. 26.