SAN MARCOS, Texas – The stakes are high for both Texas State and South Alabama as they will play for the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. With Little Rock locking up the top seed, the race for second-place is on that secures a ticket to New Orleans to play in the semifinals.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN+ vs. South Alabama: PXP: J.D. Byars, Analyst: Pat Greenwood
Live Stats vs. South Alabama: Statbroadcast
Listen: AM 1300 The Zone, TuneIn App – Bill Culhane
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bobcats are on a five-game winning streak after a thrilling 87-85 triple overtime win at UT Arlington on ESPN 2. The team has now secured back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in 43 years (1977-1979) and have recorded three 20-win seasons in a four-year span for the first time since 1957-1961, including the NAIA National Championship team (1959-60) who finished the year 29-4.  
• Texas State is ranked No. 22 in the latest Collegeinsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. It is the first time the Bobcats are ranked this season and their sixth appearance in the poll overall this season. The Bobcats are one of three teams in the Poll representing the Sun Belt Conference along with No. 18 Little Rock and Georgia State (receiving 27 votes).
• The Bobcats lead the league with a No. 118 NET Ranking and are ranked No. 93 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. TXST has been ranked as high as No. 92 by KenPom which is the highest in program history. 
• Defense continues to be the staple for Texas State as it leads the Sun Belt Conference with a 64.4 scoring defense and ranks No. 2 in the league in field goal percentage defense (.403). The Bobcats are 10-0 this season when holding their opponents below 60 points and 18-4 when held under 70 points this season. The Bobcats have a league-best marks in turnover margin (3.8, No. 15 in the NCAA) and rank No. 4 in turnovers forced (14.8).
• The Bobcats have a 15-1 overall record (9-1 in the Sun Belt) when outrebounding its opponent this season. They have outrebounded their opponent in every game during this five-game winning streak, including their last contest at UTA where they pulled down a season-high 56 rebounds. The 56 rebounds were the most in a single game since grabbing 56 boards vs. Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 13, 2018.
• Offensively, Texas State rank in the top five of the Sun Belt Conference in scoring margin (8.9, No. 1), free-throw percentage (75.7%, No. 1), field goal percentage (45.4%, No. 3), scoring offense (73.3 ppg., T-No. 4), and assists per game (14.1, T-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 is the league-leader in the Sun Belt with 19.7 points per game behind a 42.5 field goal percentage (No. 5 in the Sun Belt), a 36.5 3-point field goal percentage (No. 5 in the Sun Belt), and a 77.7 free-throw percentage (No. 10 in the Sun Belt). His 571 total points this season ranks No. 36 among active Division I players. He averages 34.8 minutes per game (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) after an incredible 53 minutes at UTA. Pearson also makes the list at No. 20 in the league with 5.5 rebounds per game after a career-high 15 rebounds at UTA.
• After dropping 20 points on senior night against Georgia State, senior forward Eric Terry punished UTA with a career-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He also matched a season-high nine rebounds in the win. Terry's numbers consist of 8.3 points and 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) per game this season.
• Junior guard Marlin Davis leads the Sun Belt Conference with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks No. 15 in the nation and leads the team with 3.9 assists per game (No. 4 in the Sun Belt). Davis also averages 6.1 points and 1.2 steals per game. Davis logged a career-high 16 points vs. Georgia Southern (Feb. 20) and a career-best 11 assists at Appalachian State (Feb. 8). He is coming off his first double-double at UTA with 14 points and 10 assists and logged a career-high eight rebounds in the win. 
• Junior forward Isiah Small ranks No. 8 in the Sun Belt with 6.6 rebounds per game, including 2.3 offensive boards per game (No. 9 in the Sun Belt). Small also ranks No. 8 in the conference with 0.9 blocks per game and averages 7.6 points overall this season, and 8.1 points per game in conference play.
• Sophomore guard Mason Harrell averages 9.0 points per game, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, 41.5 percent from 3-point range, and 87.0 percentage from the charity stripe. Harrell has 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. 
 
PEARSON RECORD TRACKER / NOTABLES 
• At UTA, Pearson turned in 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in what was his second 20-10 double-double this year and 7th career double-double in general.
• Pearson is the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,092 career points. His point total currently ranks No. 36 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 (13 total players across all divisions). He currently ranks fourth on that list with 2,092 points and 732 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 571 points this season to lead the Sun Belt and ranks No. 11 in the program's single-season record book.
• 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 732 career rebounds. Former Bobcat Steve Frontz (1974-78) ranks No. 8 with 751 career rebounds.
• Pearson rank No. 8 in the program's record book with 286 career assists. Former Bobcat Ojai Black (2014-17) ranks No. 7 with 287 career assists.
• Pearson has 69 made 3-pointers this season which sits No. 10 in the program's single-season record book. His 80 triples a year ago ranks No. 4.
• Pearson was listed on the 2020 Dos Equis 3x3U National Championship Midseason Watch List and is the front-runner to win the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year award according to espn.com.
• Pearson was tabbed to the 2019-20 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team by the league office after garnering All-Sun Belt First Team honors in the 2018-19 season.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
• South Alabama has the longest active winning streak with seven-straight games after a 78-63 victory over Troy.  
• The Jaguars will host the Bobcats on senior day for the second consecutive year and are 10-5 overall at home this season, but are just over .500 at 5-4 in league play at the Mitchell Center. 
• USA averages 71.7 points per game (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and holds its opponents to 67.9 points per game (No. 4 in the Sun Belt). They are tied at No. 1 with a 47.2 field goal percentage (Little Rock) and defensively, ranks No. 3 in the legue with 3.8 blocks per game and No. 4 with 7.7 steals per game.
• Senior forward Josh Ajayi leads the team with 14.9 points (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 7.4 rebounds per game (No. 4 in the Sun Belt). Ajayi leads the league with a 57.0 field goal percentage and his 79.6 free-throw percentage is No. 8 in the Sun Belt. Ajayi was selected to the 2019-20 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team. 
• Senior forward Chad Lott averages 13.4 points (T-No. 14 in the Sun Belt) behind a 55.8 field goal percentage (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) and pulls down 5.6 rebounds per game (No. 17 in the Sun Belt). He also leads the team with 37 total steals.
• Andre Fox is next with 12.2 points per game and rank No. 3 in the conference with 84.5 percent at the free-throw line. Fox has 2.9 rebounds per game and has a total of 46 assists, and 28 steals.
• Senior guard Trhae Mitchell rounds out the top scorers with 11.0 points per game and rank No. 19 with 5.6 rebounds per game. Mitchell also has 1.5 blocks per game that is the second-best mark in the Sun Belt. Mitchell was also named to the preseason first-team and was tabbed the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year.   
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Texas State leads South Alabama 8-3 in the all-time series and have won three of the last five meetings.
•  Tuesday will be the only time the two clubs meet this year in the regular season and it is the last time they met since the Bobcats knocked the Jaguars out of the conference tournament last year with a 79-67 victory in the quarterfinals round.
• The Jaguars are 3-2 against the Bobcats at home and have won the last two head-to-head games at the Mitchell. USA defeated TXST on senior day last year, 77-63.
 
UP NEXT
The Sun Belt Conference Championships are set for March 7-15. The first, second, and quarterfinal rounds will be played at on the home court of the highest seed and the final four teams, including No. 1 and No. 2 will meet in the semifinals at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on March 14. The championship game will be played on March 15.
 
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