North Texas vs Texas State 3/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas State Bobcats will travel to UNT Coliseum to take on the 2-seed North Texas Mean Green in the 1^st round of the NIT this Tuesday night.

The Texas State Bobcats finished their regular season with an overall record of 21-7 record while finishing Sun Belt play with a 12-3 record. Texas State earned the 1-seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, however, the Bobcats were upset in the Quarterfinals after being defeated by the 8-seed Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns by a 79-72 margin. Texas State went 9-3 in their non-conference schedule with wins over Eastern Washington & Rice, however, Texas State could not pick up any wins against top-tier competition as they lost to LSU, Vanderbilt, & Houston by an average of 25.7 ppg.

On the season, Texas State is averaging 70.7 ppg on 46.4% shooting from the field. The Bobcats are averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game on 38.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Texas State has been led by Caleb Asberry (13.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg), Mason Harrell (11.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Isiah Small (11.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg0, & Shelby Adams (9.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Texas State is holding their opponents to an average of 63.1 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Bobcats have a rebound margin of 2.7 and a turnover margin of 2.4.

The 2-seed North Texas Mean Green finished their regular season with a 24-6 overall record and finished C-USA play with a 16-2 record. North Texas earned the 1-seed in the C-USA Tournament and defeated the Rice Owls by a 68-50 margin in the Quarterfinals, however, North Texas was upset by the 3-seed Louisiana Tech by a 42-36 margin in the Semifinals. North Texas went 7-3 in their non-conference schedule with wins against Drake & Wichita State, however, could not get a signature win after losing to both Kansas & Miami.

On the season, North Texas is averaging 64.9 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Mean Green are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 35.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Texas has been led by Tylor Perry (13.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Thomas Bell (12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.5 apg), Mardrez McBride (10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Rubin Jones (8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg).

Defensively, North Texas is holding their opponents to an average of 55.0 ppg and 41.1% shooting from the field. The Mean Green have a rebound margin of 4.6 and a turnover margin of 1.0.

The Bobcats are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games & 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Mean Green are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS loss, however, are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Texas State has been led by their defense which ranks 29^th in scoring defense & 117^th in rebound margin and despite ranking just 184^th in scoring offense, the Bobcats have shot the ball well this season, ranking 52^nd in FG% & 15^th in 3P-FG%. North Texas has been led by their defense which ranks 1^st in scoring defense & 56^th in defensive FG%, however, the Mean Green have struggled at times to put points up on the board as they come into this matchup ranked just 313^th in scoring offense.

North Texas is a solid team that I think could have caused some trouble if they got an NCAA bid, however, the Mean Green have struggled offensively this season as we saw after putting up just 36 points in their loss against Louisiana State in the C-USA Championship. Texas State is a solid team that should have success defensively against North Texas and although it’s going to be hard for the Bobcats to secure the victory, as I think this is going to be a low-scoring, competitive game, I’m taking Texas State and the points. Good Luck!