RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The three-game homestand to open the season wraps up Tuesday as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's basketball team hosts the Pac-12's Texas State Bobcats at 6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 
 
This will be the first of two meetings between UTRGV (2-0, 0-0 Southland Conference) and Texas State (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) this season. The Vaqueros lead the all-time series, 23-16, but the Bobcats have won the last two contests between the two. This is the first game between UTRGV and Texas State since Dec. 15, 2018, a game won, 77-68, by the Bobcats in Edinburg. UTRGV's last win in the series was in Dec. 2016, a 72-61 game in Edinburg. 
 
The Vaqueros come into this one with some confidence after earning a gritty 68-63 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday, a team that won the SWAC tournament last season and picked up a win in the NCAA Tournament First Four. Texas State defeated fellow SLC member Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 67-55, in the season opener before routing Howard Payne, 135-66, on Thursday – setting a program record for points scored.
 
Texas State was chosen to finish seventh in the nine-team Pac-12. Two Bobcats – sophomore forward DJ Hall and senior transfer forward Paul Djobet – were recognized by the league's head coaches on the Impact List, designating them as players to watch. Hall set the freshman scoring program record last season en route to being named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and to the All-Conference Second Team.  The Bobcats are averaging 101 points per game behind the massive scoring output against Howard Payne while holding opponents to 60.5 PPG through two contests. They're shooting 56% from the field and bringing in 44.0 rebounds per game. 
 
UTRGV is scoring 74.5 PPG while holding opponents to 57.0 PPG through two games. The Vaqueros are shooting 45.2% from the field and dishing out 15.5 assists per game. Offense has come in spurts, but the Vaqueros have been solid defensively. They're second in the conference and 30^th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 33.1% efficiency from the field. They're third in the SLC and 34^th in the nation in scoring defense and third in the conference averaging 30 defensive rebounds per game. UTRGV is second in the nation in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to four three-pointers per game and a 15.7% clip. Texas State is shooting 39.5% from three with 7.5 deep makes per game early in the season, so the defense will need to be on to keep things close Tuesday. 

Fans can purchase tickets at UTRGVTickets.com. All tickets for UTRGV Athletics home events will use NFC scanning, therefore screenshots will not grant entry. Fans can save and access tickets for entry via Apple or Google Wallet or by logging into your account at UTRGVTickets.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to visit RallyTheValley.com for everything they need to know about attending home basketball games. If you're unable to attend, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ domestically and Southland International for international fans. 

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