Old Dominion (7-15, 4-6 Sun Belt) at Texas State (12-11, 5-6 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Saturday, Jan. 31 – 2 p.m. ET
Location – Strahan Arena (San Marcos, Texas)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s basketball continues this week’s road trip with a 2 p.m. ET meeting with the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday in San Marcos, Texas. The game was originally scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET start, but was moved up to accommodate ODU’s travel plans back to Norfolk as inclement weather is expected to impact the Hampton Roads area on Sunday.
Saturday’s game will be streamed on ESPN+ and Ted Alexander and Dennis Wolff will also cover the action on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM. Fans can also follow along with live stats.
Series History
Old Dominion holds a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. The Monarchs won the first meeting, 70-68 on Feb. 11, 2023 in San Marcos, but saw their season come to an end with a 65-36 loss to the Bobcats in the second round of the Sun Belt Championship on March 2 that year. TXST also knocked ODU out of the conference tournament the following year, taking the March 5 meeting by a final of 92-83.
The Monarchs won both games against the Bobcats last season. On Feb. 5, 2025 in Norfolk, ODU defeated the visitors, 75-64 as four players finished in double figures, led by Sean Durugordon’s 20-point, 13-rebound double-double and an 18-point outing by Robert Davis Jr. Then on March 6 in the third round of the Sun Belt Championship, ODU rallied from a late six-point deficit and Davis Jr. hit a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to lift the Monarchs to a 64-61 victory.
About ODU
The Monarchs (7-15, 4-6 Sun Belt) picked up a 75-71 road win over Arkansas State on Wednesday night in Jonesboro. ODU led by as many as 10 points, though the Red Wolves fought back to within two, 70-68 with 1:14 left. The hosts were forced to start fouling, and KC Shaw and LJ Thomas combined to shoot 5-of-6 at the free-throw line to close things out. Jordan Battle led the way with 20 points on 5-of-8 shooting from distance, Shaw finished with 16 points, Caelum Swanton-Rodger contributed 13 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, and Thomas turned in an 11-point performance.
ODU has four players scoring in double figures: Shaw owns a team-high 16.4 ppg, Battle is second with 13.7 ppg, Thomas is third at 11.2 ppg, and Davis Jr. averages 10.1 ppg. Davis Jr. and Battle have made 50 and 44 threes, respectively, with Davis Jr. needing three more to overtake head coach Mike Jones for sixth place on ODU’s all-time three-point leaders list. Battle currently ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in free-throw shooting at 86.3% and is fifth in the conference with 101 made free throws. Thomas is also fifth in the league with a 1.74 assist-to-turnover ratio.
On the glass, Battle has pulled down 111 boards (5.0 rpg) and Swanton-Rodger is close behind him with 105 rebounds (5.0 rpg). Battle owns a team-high 33 steals and Swanton-Rodger is the leader in blocks with 26.
The Monarchs net 74.2 ppg against 77.3 points allowed for a -3.1-scoring margin. They enter Saturday’s contest shooting 43.2% from the floor, 33.9% from long range, and 71.8% at the charity stripe. Through games played on Thursday, Old Dominion is fourth in the SBC in both three-point shooting and three-point percentage defense (31.6%).
Wednesday’s win over A-State helped ODU move up nine spots in the NET rankings, going from 246th to 237th.
About Texas State
The Bobcats (12-11, 5-6 Sun Belt) also got a win on Wednesday, defeating Marshall, 72-68 in what marked the 100th career victory for head coach Terrence Johnson. Kaden Gumbs provided a late three-pointer and Mark Drone added a couple of late free throws to help clinch the win.
TXST’s offense is led by Drone with 14.0 ppg and DJ Hall’s 13.7 ppg. Hall has recorded six double-doubles this season, good for second in the Sun Belt. The freshman forward from Plano, Texas is also second in rebounds with 172 (7.5 rpg), is third in field-goal shooting (53.3%), and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (5.43). Drone and Franck Emmou (7.3 ppg) have combined to make 43 threes, while Gumbs is the league leader and ranked 16th nationally with 49 steals. A junior guard from San Marcos, he is also second in the conference with 2.13 steals per game and owns a team-high 80 assists. Tay Knox (2.3 ppg) is the Bobcats’ leader in blocks with 22.
Texas State owns a +1.7-scoring margin, netting 73.0 ppg while holding opponents to 71.4 ppg. The Bobcats are shooting 45.7% from the field, including 32.2% from the perimeter, and are third in the SBC with 74.6% shooting at the line. They lead the conference in fastbreak points per game (13.48), are second in rebound margin (+5.0 rpg) and steals per game (8.9), and rank third in bench points per game (25.61) and turnovers forced per game (13.39).
The Bobcats were picked to finish eighth in the Sun Belt’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll with Drone landing on the Preseason Second Team and Gumbs voted to the Third Team. They are 276th in the latest NET rankings.
Up Next
The Monarchs open a five-game homestand next Wednesday, Feb. 4 when they host ULM for a 7 p.m. game at Chartway Arena.
Season Sponsor
Bon Secours is the Presenting Sponsor of Old Dominion University’s 2025-26 Men’s Basketball Season. Bon Secours is proud to operate its four hospitals and medical centers in Hampton Roads and is even more proud to serve the surrounding community with exceptional care. It’s our mission at Bon Secours Hampton Roads to treat the whole person — mind, body and spirit, to bring compassion to health care, and to be good help to those in need. Bon Secours – the health care you deserve from a team you can trust.