Free Pick | NCAA | Thursday | Jan. 22 |

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#785 Texas State +2.5 over Coastal Carolina 6 PM CT

Texas State is 11-9 but the Bobcats are rightly questioned having played a weak non-conference schedule to compile a decent record. The Bobcats have also already faced a couple of the worst teams in the SBC. Texas State has looked like a competitive team in the conference since the calendar flipped to 2026, going 3-2 with the losses coming in overtime and by one point against decent competition on the road. Texas State is the top SBC team in creating turnovers on defense while the Bobcats are a good free throw shooting team and a decent inside scoring squad with good rebounding numbers. Coastal Carolina has won three in a row in SBC play to climb to 4-4 in the conference standings. The wins have come by a combined total of 11 points including an overtime win at Georgia Southern on Saturday. The Chanticleers are just 1-3 S/U at home in SBC play and own the worst effective field goal rate in the conference. Despite being 4-4 through an average path, Coastal Carolina ranks 10th on offense and 10th on defense in the conference numbers. Only 28 of 53 hosts have won S/U in conference play so far in the Sun Belt and Texas State had won S/U in seven in a row in this series prior to a home loss to Coastal Carolina as a hefty favorite two seasons ago, as these teams didn’t play last season in the unbalanced SBC scheduling. Texas State has an experienced roster and while the Bobcats have only one road win, three of the team’s past four road losses have come by five or fewer points or in overtime, with conference favorite Troy the only team to pull away from the Bobcats in that sample.