Texas State vs Troy 12/30/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Troy Trojans will travel to the Strahan Arena at the University Events Center to take on the Texas State Bobcats this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Troy Trojans won their 4^th straight game and improved to 9-4 on the season after defeating the Mercer Bears, 69-65, on December 22^nd. Troy was solid defensively on the road against Mercer and was able to hold onto the victory after going into halftime with a 38-33 lead. Troy shot 36.8% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc while holding Mercer to 38.6% shooting from the field & 34.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Trojans was Desmond Williams who had 21 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Troy is averaging 73.5 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Trojans are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 33.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Troy has been led by Efe Odigie (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Duke Deen (10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.4 spg), Desmond Williams (8.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg), & Zay Williams (7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensively, Troy is allowing their opponents to average 66.0 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Trojans have a rebound margin of 2.1 and a turnover margin of 2.0.

The Texas State Bobcats had their 8-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-3 on the season after being defeated by the 13^th ranked Houston Cougars, 80-47, on December 22^nd. Texas State had no answers on either end of the floor for Houston and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 45-22 margin. Texas State shot 40.4% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Houston to shoot 55.2% from the field & 46.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bobcats was Shelby Adams who had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Texas State is averaging 74.4 ppg on 48.6% shooting from the field. The Bobcats are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 36.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Texas State has been led by Caleb Asberry (13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 apg), Isiah Small (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg), Mason Harrell (9.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 2.7 apg), & Shelby Adams (9.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Texas State is holding their opponents to an average of 62.5 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Bobcats have a rebound margin of 11.9 and a turnover margin of 3.5.

The Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games, however, are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games vs. Sun Belt opponents. The Bobcats are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games, however, are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.

Troy has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Trojans come into this game ranked 145^th in scoring offense, t-125^th in scoring defense, & 95^th in defensive FG%. Texas State has also been strong on both ends of the court as the Bobcats currently rank 127^th in scoring offense, 29^th in FG%, & 63^rd in scoring defense.

Texas State is a tough team to play at home as the Bobcats are 5-0 at home this season, however, Troy has been playing some solid basketball as of late and have some quality wins over Jacksonville State, FAU, & Mercer. Troy has a winning record on the road this season and as I think their defense will keep this game close, I’m taking the Trojans to cover with the points. Good Luck!