Texas State, Sun Belt release schedules for 2019-20 men’s basketball season

Texas State released its schedule for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season on Tuesday, featuring five opponents that received a berth in the 2019 NCAA tournament.

The Bobcats play in a tune-up match inside Strahan Arena on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. against Cameron before tipping off the year at home against Texas Lutheran on Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The season opener will also serve as a homecoming for former San Marcos forward Mason Green, who committed to the Bulldogs in April.

The team will see their first opponent from the Big Dance on Nov. 12, when Texas State hosts Prairie View A&M inside Strahan Arena at 7 p.m. The Panthers received an automatic bid to the tournament earlier this year as a No. 16 seed after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Bobcats will follow the game up with a trip to Waco on Nov. 15, taking on Baylor at 7 p.m., a No. 9 seed in this year’s March Madness Bracket. The team will participate in a four-game stint as part of the Wild West Showdown from Nov. 18-30, including a home game with Abilene Christian — a No. 15 seed who won the 2019 Southland Conference championship — on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.

Texas State will face Houston on the road on Dec. 4, with the start time to be determined. The Cougars were a No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament and reached the Sweet 16 before falling to 2-seeded Kentucky on March 29, 62-58. The team will conclude its non-conference schedule with a pair of games inside Strahan Arena against UTSA on Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. and Bethany College on Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.

The maroon and gold begin league play with a Georgia road trip, beginning with Georgia Southern in Statesboro on Dec. 19 and ending with Georgia State, the reigning Sun Belt tournament champion and a No. 14 seed in the Big Dance, in Atlanta on Dec. 21. The Bobcats’ first conference home game takes place Jan. 6, going up against Troy at 7 p.m.

Senior night for Texas State is set for Feb. 22, 2020, when the team hosts Georgia State at 4 p.m. The team closes out the regular season on the road at UT Arlington on Feb. 29 at 5 p.m. and South Alabama on March 3.

The 2020 Sun Belt Championships will be played inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans from March 7-15. The NCAA will select teams for its national tournament on March 15.