.png)
Texas State didn’t find out who it was playing in the Sun Belt quarterfinals until around 8 p.m. Monday night.
The No. 3 seed Bobcats received a two-round bye to the league’s quarterfinals and waited patiently for their next opponents to reveal themselves. No. 10 seed Coastal Carolina upset No. 7 seed UT Arlington on Saturday, 63-62. Texas State head coach Danny Kaspar walked his team through a light scouting report on the Chanticleers during practice Monday afternoon.
It was all for naught. No. 6 seed Appalachian State made a second-half comeback to defeat Coastal Carolina that night, 70-65, advancing from the second round of the tournament to a showdown with the maroon and gold at Strahan Arena.
Kaspar said it’s been difficult not knowing which team to prepare for in the days since the Bobcats’ final regular season game — a 58-54 loss at South Alabama on March 3. But having played the Mountaineers twice already this year, the head coach believes his team has a better understanding of what it’ll take to pull out a win.
“We just have to review,” Kaspar said. “In some ways, it's like taking a test over again.”
Texas State walloped App State in the teams’ first meeting in San Marcos on Jan. 11, 82-57. The hosts scored 41 points in each half, getting double-digit points out of senior guard Nijal Pearson (22), redshirt sophomore forward Alonzo Sule (18), sophomore guard Mason Harrell (15) and junior forward Quentin Scott (11).
But the Mountaineers weren’t at full strength, missing two regular starters in senior forward Isaac Johnson and guard O’Showen Williams. The Bobcats suffered the same fate when they traveled to Boone, North Carolina for a rematch with App State on Feb. 8. Pearson, the maroon and gold’s leading scorer, had to fly back to Texas for the birth of his daughter the night before the game. The visitors fell 60-57 in his absence.
“Against App State, we didn't pass one test but you know, we had Nijal out of the game. But when they came here, they had a couple of guys out of the game, too,” Kaspar said. “So we could say that that game is an unknown. I think our players put forth great effort in that game (at App State) to lose only by three. But, you know, without your leading scorer, it's gonna be hard to win against good opponents on the road.”
Kaspar noted teams don’t change much in the playoffs. They might add a new wrinkle or two, but their core identity often remains the same.
What does change, though, is the intensity of the games. Players know they have to play their best basketball of the year to keep their season alive and play accordingly.
One thing that’s put Texas State at ease is having home-court advantage. The team is 14-3 at Strahan Arena this year. Kaspar is hoping for one of the biggest attendance number of the year.
“If the crowds show up it's a big advantage, I'll tell you what,” Kaspar said. “You know, I think this is important for our fans and for the people of San Marcos to understand: nothing can be more of a downer than coming out right before game time and seeing empty seats everywhere. Our players want to play in front of fans that are excited about being there. And I think this group has done a pretty good job of playing hard and giving them a good show. So I hope the students and faculty and staff and townspeople will come out and support us because their presence does make a big difference in a positive way.”
The Bobcats (20-12, 13-7 conference) and Mountaineers (18-14, 11-9) tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with the game being broadcasted on ESPN+. It’ll be the first time the teams play against each other in the Sun Belt tournament. The winner of the game will move on to a semifinal match with No. 2 seed South Alabama at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday at 2 p.m.
