Nicholls vs. Texas A&M Game Notes

THIBODAUX -  After a 13 day layoff, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (6-4) will get back to action on Monday when the Colonels ring in the new year and wrap up the non-conference schedule by visiting Big XII power Texas A&M (12-1) in the ir first ever tilt with the Aggies.

Nicholls, which claimed a victory over in-state rival LSU on Nov. 16 for the first time in school history, will be looking for their second win of the season over a power conference opponent after coming up short against Oklahoma State (Nov. 21)  and Mississippi State (Dec. 13).  Nicholls also owns a victory over Tulane (Nov. 26) and a one-point overtime defeat to Houston (Nov. 12).

The Colonels head into the game having made the start to the 2010-11 season one of the most successful in the program's history.  Nicholls is above .500 after ten games for just the second time since the 1994-95 season and just the fifth time in school history.

However, the Colonels will have their hands full if they want that hot start to continue.  The Aggies enter the contest having won 72 consecutive non-conference games at home and eight consecutive games overall.

Nicholls also figures to take on a motivated A&M, which had mount a second half rally to overcome McNeese State on Dec. 31, despite heading into the contest ranked No. 18 in the nation in both the AP and Coaches Poll.

Nicholls will bring one of the nation's most consistent scorers, as well as one of the country's most aggressive defenses into the contest.  Senior forward Anatoly Bose enters Monday night's contest ranked second in the nation in scoring average, pouring in 25.0 points/game.  The Sydney, Australia native sits just 1.9 points/game behind UCONN's Kemba Walker for the national lead.

Bose has totaled 20 or more points in 70 percent of his games since the start of the 2009-10 season.  He has gone for 20 or more in eight of ten games this year, including a 37-point performance against Oklahoma State.  Among players averaging 17 or more field goal attempts per game, Bose is ranked fourth in field goal percentage, and his 3.2 three pointers per game is the 14th best mark in the country.

Backing up Bose on offense are junior guard/forward Fred Hunter and senior point guard Kenny Franklin Jr. Hunter, a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Week award winner this year, is averaging .554 shooting from the floor this year, the 52nd best mark in the country.  The Denton, Texas native is second on the team with 15.9 points/game and leads the Colonels with a 5.8 rebound/game average.

Meanwhile, Franklin has established himself as one of the steadiest point guards in the country.  The Shreveport, La. native is currently ranked seventh in the nation with a 3.67 assist/turnover ratio while averaging 4.9 assists/game, the 58th best mark in the country.

Franklin also leads one of the nation's most aggressive defenses.  The Colonels have racked up 101 steals and have forced 204 turnovers in their first ten games of the season. Nicholls' 10.1 steal/game average ranked 11th in the nation entering Monday's contest, with Franklin having swiped a team-high 20 steals.

Franklin (1.9 steals/game), junior guard Ben Martin (1.8 steals/game) and senior guard Kellan Carter (1.6 steals/game) all average more than 1.5 steals per game.  The Colonels' turnover margin of of +7.2 per game is third in the nation, just .4 off the national leading average of +7.6 held by South Dakota State.

Tipoff between the Colonels and No. 18 Aggies is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.  The game can be heard in the New Orleans-Houma-Thibodaux area on the Colonel Sports Radio Network, including KLRZ 100.3 FM LaRose and KLEB 1600 AM Golden Meadow.

Following their matchup with the Aggies, the Colonels will return to Nicholls to open the Southland Conference portion of the schedule.  Nicholls will host Texas-Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3:30 p.m. in the Southland opener for both teams.