5*
(NCAAB) Texas State vs. Troy, 01/16/2017 3:00 PM, Score: 75 - 71
Point Spread: -6.50 | -106.00 Troy (Home)
Result: Loss
Texas State came up short in their last outing on the road losing to South Alabama by a final of 67-72 and the Bobcats will get an even tougher test today going into the second leg of their back to back road trip facing an improved Troy squad. Texas State plays at a very slow pace ranking just 288th in the nation in scoring average compared to 21st in total defense. The Bobcats have favored playing in the half court and the Trojans will look to speed this group up a bit in this matchup. Texas State stands 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Belt, and this squad has been led by Kavin Gilder-Tilbury who's averaging 16 points per contest.

The Troy Trojans did a good job of testing themselves back during the nonconference and this group has faced a road heavy slate on their way to standing 10-8 overall and 2-2 in conference. Troy has the tools to compete near the top of the Sun Belt this season, especially offensively, as the Trojans rank 42nd in the nation in scoring average compared to 190th in total defense. Troy is coming off one of their better wins of the season as the Trojans dominated Texas Arlington the other day at home picking up the win by a final of 93-71. Troy has been led by Jordon Varnado who's averaging 15.2 points per game.

Troy has a bit more depth and can spread the ball around to more scoring options than their opponent and the Trojans bring the significant edge on the offensive side of the ball into this contest. Texas State is coming off a competitive loss on the road, but we see Troy winning by an even larger margin as they go on to win and cover the spread here tonight.