SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team (17-5, 6-3 Sun Belt) will wrap-up its three-game homestand with tilts vs. Appalachian State (8-14, 3-6 Sun Belt) at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 and vs. Coastal Carolina (12-9, 6-3 Sun Belt) at 4 p.m. on Feb. 9. Strahan Arena will honor our Armed Forces with Military Appreciation Night on Feb. 7 and will have Danny Kaspar Jacket Night with a mustache sticker giveaway on Feb. 9.  
 
The Bobcats are looking to bounce back from a two-game skid after falling 84-77 in double overtime to UT Arlington in front of a record-setting 6,581 fans, the highest attended Sun Belt Conference men's basketball game in the last six years.
 
GAME INFORMATION – APPALACHIAN STATE
7 p.m. CST | Strahan Arena
WATCH: ESPN+ - Brant Freeman (PxP), Cordell Patrick (Color Analyst)
LISTEN: TuneIn App or AM 1300 – Bill Culhane (PxP)
FOLLOW: Live Stats
 
GAME INFORMATION – COASTAL CAROLINA
4 p.m. CST | Strahan Arena
WATCH: ESPN+ - Brant Freeman (PxP), Cordell Patrick (Color Analyst)
LISTEN: TuneIn App or AM 1300 – Bill Culhane (PxP)
FOLLOW: Live Stats
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats are ranked No. 20 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, marking the eighth consecutive week the team has been ranked in the poll. The club is No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense (63.7 ppg), scoring margin (11.5), rebound margin (6.0), assists average (16.0), and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.2).
 
Junior guard Nijal Pearson moved to seventh on the school's all-time career scoring list (1,379 points) and is just six points behind former teammate Kavin Gilder-Tilbury after scoring 15 points in the loss vs. UTA. Pearson also knocked down a triple in that game to tie Brent Benson for fourth place at Texas State with 158 career 3-point field goals made. On the year, the Beaumont, Texas, native averages 18.2 points per game (No. 8 in the Sun Belt), and is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range (No. 2 in the Sun Belt). Pearson also averages 5.2 rebounds per game that ranks No. 19 in the conference.
 
Senior guard Tre'Larenz Nottingham scores 13.9 points per game (No. 18 in the Sun Belt) and shoots 33.3 percent from downtown (No. 3 in the Sun Belt). Senior forward Alex Peacock averages 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game (No. 12 in the Sun Belt), while junior guard Jaylen Shead sits atop the Sun Belt Conference with a 2.9 assists-to-turnover ratio and averages 5.0 assists per game, which ranks second among league leaders.
 
ABOUT APPALACHIAN STATE
The Mountaineers opened conference play with a 0-6 record but have since won three consecutive games including a 104-77 drumming against Louisiana and a nail-biter over ULM, 85-84. However, APP State's struggles have mostly come on the road this year where they are 1-9.
 
APP features a trio of athletes who average double-digit scoring, beginning with senior Ronshad Shabazz's 18.1 points per game, ninth in the league. Shabazz is followed by sophomore Justin Forrest who scores 16.6 points (No. 10 in Sun Belt) and junior Isaac Johnson's 10.2 points per game. Johnson is the conference's top rebounder, pulling down 8.9 boards per game. As a team, Appalachian State scores 81.7 points on average, which is the third highest in the Sun Belt on 45.8 percent shooting from the floor.
 
Earlier this season, Texas State held off the pesky Mountaineers 70-69 on Jan. 12 at the Holmes Center to even the all-time series at five games apiece. Nottingham and Pearson led the Bobcats in scoring with 16 points each in the win. The Bobcats look to pick up their first win at home vs. APP since Dec. 31, 2016.
 
ABOUT COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers enter the weekend tied for second place in the Sun Belt Conference (TXST and UTA) and own the longest active winning streak at five games. Like Appalachian State, CCU swept the Louisiana schools last week as they downed ULM 92-81 and defeated LA 96-79. The Chanticleers will matchup with UTA on Feb. 7 before tipping off in Strahan Arena on Feb. 9.
 
CCU's senior Zac Cuthbertson leads the team averaging 19.2 points (No. 6 in conference) and leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game (tied No. 3 in conference) and 20 steals. The Chanticleers are No. 5 in the Sun Belt with a scoring average of 77.6 points per game behind a league-leading 41.5 percent clip from deep. On the other end of the floor, they relinquish just 70.4 points per game which is the second best in the league behind the Bobcats.
 
Texas State leads all-time series with a 5-2 record after the Bobcats stopped CCU 65-61 Jan. 10. Peacock turned in 13 points to lead the team and shot 50 percent from both the floor (4-for-8) and behind-the-arc (3-for-6). Pearson followed with 12 points and six rebounds.