THIBODAUX - Riding an 11-game home court winning streak, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (9-7, 3-2 Southland Conference) will try to make it 12 straight when the Colonels host McNeese State (11-7, 3-2 Southland Conference) on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. tipoff in the second game of a men's and women's basketball double header on "Stuff Stopher" Night at Stopher Gym.

Nicholls will look to improve on a 28-4 home court record that dates back to the start of the 2008-09 season.  Part of that run that has produced an .875 home-court winning percentage over the last three seasons has been the Colonels' current 11-game home-court winning streak.  Nicholls has not been defeated in Stopher Gym since Feb. 10, 2010 against Sam Houston State.  However, the Cowboys will seem to offer a steep challenge for the Colonels in a crowded Southland Conference picture.

The week begins with the top nine teams in the league separated by just 1.0 game, and the top 11 teams separated by just 1.5.  The Cowboys, who got off to a fast start in conference play with three consecutive victories, are now looking to get back on track after a pair of losses last week against Southeastern La. and Northwestern State.  McNeese State has proven to be a dangerous squad this year, earning non-conference wins over Georgia State, Louisiana Tech and UL-Lafayette as well as picking up close losses at Texas A&M and LSU (in overtime).

The Cowboys are led by a trio of double-digit scorers.  Patrick Richard leads the attack with a 15.6 point/game average.  He is joined by Diego Kapelan (14.5 ppg) and Stephan Martin (11.5 ppg).  The Cowboys also boast the Southland's top rebounder in P.J. Alowaya who boasts a league-best 9.8 rebound/game mark.

Nicholls answers with one of the most disciplined offenses and stingiest defenses in the nation.   The week begins with the Colonels ranked third in the nation with a +6.3 turnover margin.  Nicholls ranks 17th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 59.7 points per night, and the Colonels rank 21st in the nation with a 9.1 steal/game average.

Defensively, Nicholls is led by senior guard Kellan Carter who ranks 64th in the nation with a 1.9 steal/game average.  Carter is joined by senior forward Anatoly Bose (1.5 steals/game), senior point guard Kenny Franklin Jr. (1.4 steals/game) and  junior guard Ben Martin (1.3 steals/game) to give Nicholls four starters with at least 1.3 steals/game. 

On the offensive end, Bose continues to lead the way for the Colonels, beginning the week ranked eighth in the nation with a 22.5 point/game average.  Junior guard/forward Fred Hunter has also been one of the most efficient offensive players in the country, shooting a .571 average from the floor that ranks 26th in the country en route to a 15.6 point/game average.  Hunter enters the game just nine points away from becoming the 23rd Nicholls player to reach the 1,000 career point mark.  Should Hunter reach that mark, he would join Bose in giving the Colonels two 1,000 point scorers on the same floor for the first time since Reggie Jackson and Gerard King reached the 1K mark in the 1993-94 season.

Tipoff between the Colonels and Cowboys is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff, following the Nicholls vs. McNeese women's game at 5 p.m.  The game can be heard in the New Orleans-Houma-Thibodaux area on the Colonel Sports Radio Network, including KLRZ 100.3 FM and KLEB 1600 AM.  Following the game, the Colonels will return to action by hosting Lamar on Saturday in the finale of a four-game homestand, the longest of the season for the Colonels.