SAN MARCOS, Texas – With a trip to New Orleans on the line, Texas State (20-11, 13-7 Sun Belt) and Appalachian State (18-14, 11-9 Sun Belt) will square off for the third time this season in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship at 7 p.m. on March 11 inside Strahan Arena. Both teams split the regular-season series with each club winning on their home floor. Wednesday night's contest will be a White Out and a free white shirt will be handed out to the first 3,000 fans in attendance.  
 
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN+ vs. Appalachian State: PXP: Brant Freeman, Analyst: Suzanne Fox
Live Stats vs. Appalachian State: Statbroadcast
Listen: AM 1300 The Zone, TuneIn App – Bill Culhane
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bobcats are making their sixth consecutive appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament and are 5-0 in their opening round of the tournament. Overall, the team is 6-5 all-time and 2-3 specifically in the quarterfinals round.
• Texas State will host a Sun Belt Tournament game at Strahan Arena for the first time in its history and registered a 14-3 record this season when playing in front of the Bobcat faithful. The Maroon and Gold enter the game Wednesday night with a six-game winning streak at home. 
• The Bobcats are ranked No. 23 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 and lead the league with a No. 123 NET Ranking and No. 94 ranking in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. TXST has been ranked as high as No. 92 by KenPom which is the highest in program history, and No. 118 in the NET. 
• Texas State leads the Sun Belt Conference with a 64.2 scoring defense and ranks No. 2 in the league in field goal percentage defense (.404). The Bobcats are 10-1 this season when holding their opponents below 60 points and 18-4 when held under 70 points this season. They also have league-best marks in turnover margin (3.5, No. 16 in the NCAA) and rank No. 4 in turnovers forced (14.6).
• Offensively, Texas State rank in the top five of the Sun Belt Conference in scoring margin (8.5, No. 1), free-throw percentage (75.5%, No. 1), field goal percentage (45.3%, No. 3), and assists per game (14.0, No. 4). They also have a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio that is tied at No. 1 in the league.
• Senior guard Nijal Pearson became the first Bobcat to be named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. He leads the league with 19.3 points per game behind a 41.9 field goal percentage (No. 6 in the Sun Belt) and a 35.2 3-point field goal percentage (No. 5 in the Sun Belt). His 578 total points this season ranks No. 53 among active Division I players and he average 34.8 minutes per game (No. 2 in the Sun Belt), including a season-high 53 minutes at UTA. Pearson also makes the list at No. 19 in the league with 5.4 rebounds per game and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds at UTA.
• Sophomore guard Mason Harrell averages 9.1 points per game, shooting 49.7 percent from the floor, 44.6 percent from 3-point range, and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe. He also adds 3.0 assists per game. Harrell made his return at UTA after missing three and a half games due to a concussion. In the UTA game, Harrell had one assist which was on the game-winning basket. In the regular-season finale at South Alabama, he led the team with 13 points, including making all three of his 3-point field goal attempts.
• Senior forward Eric Terry is averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks (No. 6 in the Sun Belt) per game. Terry turned in a career-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting at UTA (Feb. 28) and had a season-high nine rebounds in that game. Terry has scored 10 or more points in nine games this season which six of them have been against teams in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Junior guard Marlin Davis leads the Sun Belt Conference with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks No. 21 in the nation and leads the team with 3.9 assists per game (No. 4 in the Sun Belt). Davis also averages 5.9 points and 1.1 steals per game. 
• Junior forward Isiah Small ranks No. 8 in the Sun Belt with 6.5 rebounds per game, including 2.3 offensive boards per game (T-No. 4in the Sun Belt). Small also ranks No. 7 in the conference with 0.9 blocks per game.
 
PEARSON RECORD TRACKER / NOTABLES 
• Pearson is just the second Bobcat to win a conference Player of the Year award, following Donte Mathis who garnered the award in 1999 for the Southland Conference.
• Pearson is the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,099 career points. His point total currently ranks No. 24 among active players across all NCAA divisions and rank No. 13 in Division I. He also ranks No. 7 in the Sun Belt Conference all-time in scoring.
• Pearson is one of seven active NCAA Division I players with 2,000 career points and 700 career rebounds (14 total players across all divisions). He currently ranks fourth on that list with 2,099 points and 735 rebounds.
• Pearson is the first Bobcat in program history to record three consecutive 500-point seasons (542, 2018-19; 502, 2017-18). He currently has 578 points this season to lead the Sun Belt and ranks No. 10 in the program's single-season record book, and No. 53 in the nation.
• Pearson is the only Bobcat to be in the top 10 of the school's record book in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
• The Beaumont, Texas native has 173 career steals that rank No. 3 in the school's record book. He now trails Wes Davis (2011-15) who is No. 2 with 189 steals, and David Sykes (1999-03) who is the program's leader with 192 career steals.
• Pearson is No. 9 on the all-time rebounding list with 735 career rebounds. Former Bobcat Steve Frontz (1974-78) ranks No. 8 with 751 career rebounds.
• Pearson is tied at No. 7 in the program's record book with 287 career assists, joining former Bobcat Ojai Black (2014-17). Lawrence Fowler (1978-82) is next with 290 career assists.
• Pearson has 70 made 3-pointers this season which sits No. 9 in the program's single-season record book. His 80 triples a year ago ranks No. 4.
• Pearson is on the 2020 Dos Equis 3x3U National Championship Watchlist and is also a finalist to participate in the 2020 Reese's NABC All-Star game.
 
SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE
• Appalachian State is the No. 6 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and earned a bye to the second-round after posting a 11-9 record in conference play. They have won four of their last five contests.  
• The Mountaineers picked up their second victory all-time in the Sun Belt Tournament, by overcoming No. 10 Coastal Carolina's 15-point lead in the first half. In the second stanza, APP opened the game with an 11-2 run, and later used another 10-2 run to take a 60-57 lead with under five minutes to play. They ultimately advanced with a 70-65 win.
• Although App is not the most prolific offense averaging 68.4 points per game, they are right behind the Bobcats in scoring defense as they relinquish only 66.8 points on average. The team averages 7.5 steals per game which is tied at No. 4 in the Sun Belt.
• Junior guard Justin Forrest leads the team with 17.2 points (No. 3 in the Sun Belt) behind a 38.1 field goal percentage (No. 9 in the Sun Belt). He also adds 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game (No. 8 in the Sun Belt) Forrest had 13 points, two assists and two steals in the second-round win vs. Coastal. Forrest also joined Pearson on the All-Sun Belt First Team.
• Senior guard O'Showen Williams follows Forrest with 12.9 points and pulls down 4.3 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 1.8 steals per game (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) and has a .348 3-point field goal percentage (No. 7 in the Sun Belt). Williams had 13 points, six rebounds, and game-highs of six assists and four steals last game against Coastal Carolina.
• Senior forward Isaac Johnson rounds out the double-figure scorers for App as he turns in 11.4 points and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game which ranks No. 2 in the Sun Belt. Johnson also averages 1.6 steals (No. 7 in the Sun Belt). Johnson registered a double-double in the comeback victory over Coastal Carolina with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He also had two assists and two steals.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the first Sun Belt Tournament meeting between the two programs.
• Texas State leads Appalachian State 7-6 in the all-time series and split this season's regular-season series.
•  In the first meeting, TXST defeated App at home 82-57 (Jan. 11) but fell 60-57 in Boone, N.C. (Feb. 8).
• Neither team has faced each other with their full roster this year. In game one, App was without seniors Isaac Johnson and O'Showen Williams and in game two, TXST was without Pearson.
• The Bobcats are 4-2 when playing the Mountaineers in San Marcos and have won the last two games.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of this game will be in the final four of the Sun Belt Conference Championships and will face No. 2 South Alabama in the semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The championship game will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 and will be aired on ESPN 2.
 
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