# 2020–21 Tarleton State Texans men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Tarleton State Texans men's basketball team represented Tarleton State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Texans, led by first-year head coach Billy Gillispie, played their home games at the Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas as first-year members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The season marked Tarleton State's first year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I. As a result, the Texans were not eligible for NCAA postseason play and could not participate in the WAC tournament. They were eligible to play in the CIT or CBI, but were not invited.

## Previous season

The Texans finished the 2019–20 season 18–12, 13–9 in Lone Star Conference (LSC) play, to finish in a tie for seventh place. They received the No. 7 seed in the LSC tournament, and defeated the No. 10 seed UT Permian Basin in the opening round, 84–68. They advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost to St. Edward's, 52–60.
The season marked the school's final season as a Division II school.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 25, 2020* 7:00 p.m. | Dallas Christian | W 103–48 | 1–0 | Wisdom Gym (256) Stephenville, TX |
| November 28, 2020* | Howard Payne West Texas Classic | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Howard Payne | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Howard Payne | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| December 2, 2020* 6:00 p.m., SECN | at Texas A&M | L 66–73 | 1–1 | Reed Arena (1,316) College Station, TX |
| December 5, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Abilene Christian West Texas Classic | L 48–69 | 1–2 | Teague Special Events Center (296) Abilene, TX |
| December 8, 2020* 8:00 p.m., Root Sports | at No. 1 Gonzaga | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Gonzaga | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Gonzaga | McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, WA |
| December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m. | Arlington Baptist | W 84–43 | 2–2 | Wisdom Gym (482) Stephenville, TX |
| December 13, 2020* 1:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Kansas | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Tarleton State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Tarleton State | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 15, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at No. 2 Baylor | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Baylor | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Baylor | Ferrell Center Waco, TX |
| December 19, 2020* 4:00 p.m. | McMurry | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Tarleton State | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Tarleton State | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| December 23, 2020* 3:00 p.m. | at Pepperdine | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA |
| December 31, 2020* 4:00 p.m. | Paul Quinn | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| WAC regular season ||||||
| January 8, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Grand Canyon | L 72–75 | 2–3 (0–1) | Wisdom Gym (962) Stephenville, TX |
| January 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Grand Canyon | L 48–59 | 2–4 (0–2) | Wisdom Gym (833) Stephenville, TX |
| January 15, 2021 8:00 p.m., WAC DN | at California Baptist | L 74–83 | 2–5 (0–3) | CBU Events Center (0) Riverside, CA |
| January 16, 2021 8:00 p.m., WAC DN | at California Baptist | L 67–73 | 2–6 (0–4) | CBU Events Center (0) Riverside, CA |
| January 17, 2021* 8:00 p.m., Pluto TV | at Weber State | L 79–94 | 2–7 | Dee Events Center (0) Ogden, UT |
| January 22, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Seattle | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| January 23, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | Seattle | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| January 25, 2021* 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | Howard Payne | W 113–53 | 3–7 | Wisdom Gym (1,093) Stephenville, TX |
| January 29, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Utah Valley | L 60–72 | 3–8 (0–5) | UCCU Center (100) Orem, UT |
| January 30, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Utah Valley | W 70–62 | 4–8 (1–5) | UCCU Center (100) Orem, UT |
| February 6, 2021* 8:00 p.m. | Southwestern Adventist | W 97–26 | 5–8 | Wisdom Gym (284) Stephenville, TX |
| February 9, 2021* 6:00 p.m. | McMurry | W 112–54 | 6–8 | Wisdom Gym (335) Stephenville, TX |
| February 12, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Chicago State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| February 13, 2021 1:00 p.m., WAC DN | Chicago State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Wisdom Gym Stephenville, TX |
| February 19, 2021 8:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Dixie State | W 77–59 | 7–8 (2–5) | Burns Arena (559) St. George, UT |
| February 20, 2021 8:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Dixie State | L 48–64 | 7–9 (2–6) | Burns Arena (437) St. George, UT |
| February 26, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | New Mexico State | L 51–78 | 7–10 (2–7) | Wisdom Gym (1,172) Stephenville, TX |
| February 27, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | New Mexico State | W 64–55 | 8–10 (3–7) | Wisdom Gym (1,464) Stephenville, TX |
| March 5, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 65–47 | 9–10 (4–7) | UTRGV Fieldhouse (510) Edinburg, TX |
| March 6, 2021 7:00 p.m., WAC DN | at Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 69–58 | 10–10 (5–7) | UTRGV Fieldhouse (161) Edinburg, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
Sources: