Texas State men’s basketball is on a tear, and even the best team in the Sun Belt can’t stop them.
Texas State earned its best win of the season Wednesday night, taking down Troy 74-62 and improving its conference record to 8-6. It’s the Bobcats’ fifth straight win, matching their longest streak of the season.
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“Every guy bought in, every guy knows their role, and I feel like we’re playing at a high level,” Texas State freshman DJ Hall said after the game.
The Trojans were averaging 83.2 points per game before the Bobcats stifled them. Troy shot 36% from the field and 9-for-27 from 3-point range, .
Texas State will return Saturday to face Louisiana-Monroe. Here are some takeaways from Texas State’s win.
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Hot start, hot finish
Texas State took a lead from the jump and never looked back. The closest Troy got came at the 16-minute, 44-second mark, when the teams were tied 6-6. From there, the Bobcats refused to let their foot off the gas.
The Bobcats’ offense has become razor-sharp over its past five games. They went 2-for-9 from 3-point range, but shot 59.6% from the field overall, their highest mark of the season since a 114-55 win over Texas A&M-San Antonio. Texas State racked up 32 points in the paint, while Troy scored 16 and only had 18 points from 2-point shots overall.
“It’s not pretty, but it is gritty,” Texas State head coach Terrence Johnson said. “There are not many teams in the country that win a game against top team in their league by making only two threes.”
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Texas State Bobcats guard Kyndall Davis (9) dribbles the ball as Texas State men’s basketball takes on Troy at Strahan Arena in San Marcos Wednesday,Feb. 11, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
DJ Hall comes through again
What else can be said about Hall? Johnson said that Texas State’s hot start can primarily be attributed to Hall getting into an immediate groove. The freshman started the game 4-of-4 from the field, finally missing a shot at the 10:53 mark in the first half. He ended the game with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists on 9-of-15 shooting.
“He had it absolutely going early on,” Jonson said. “When he gets in a zone like that, he can rattle them off pretty good.”
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Hall leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage and leads the Bobcats in scoring and rebounding. Although he’s not the most nimble or explosive athlete, he flummoxed Troy with his shot touch, clever footwork and overall toughness. It’s getting to a point that Hall isn’t just the best freshman in the Sun Belt — he’s one of the conference’s best players, period.
Strahan Arena coming alive
Texas State does not treat visitors to Strahan Arena kindly. They’re allowing 65.1 points per game at home, which rises to 79.2 on the road. Its only loss came against Arkansas State, which won 89-70 on the back of 12-of-22 shooting from 3-point range. Johnson said he believes the crowd has played a role in his team’s success at home.
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“Whenever they’re in here and we have that kind of crowd, we’re hard to beat. It’s an effect that very few places have in the Sun Belt,” Johnson said.
Early in the season, Texas State struggles led to some smaller audiences. But with the run the Bobcats have gone on, the energy in the building has been growing. Texas State will host another Sun Belt leader in two weeks, with Appalachian State being the final regular season game.