Game Notes

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team (10-8, 4-3 Southland Conference) will look for its first ever victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and continue to climb a crowded field in the Southland Conference Tournament race when the Colonels visit the Islanders to kick off AMCC's Homecoming Week on Wednesday night in Corpus Christi.

The Colonels begin the week just 1.0 game behind McNeese State in the race for the top seed at the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament.  However, there is little margin for error for any Southland Conference team in a crowded conference race.  As the week begins, the top 11 of the league's 12 teams are separated by just 2.0 games. 

McNeese (5-2 Southland) begins the week in first followed by Texas-Arlington (0.5 games out) and Nicholls and Northwestern State (1.0 games out).  Five different teams are 1.5 games behind the Cowboys with Sam Houston State and the Islanders just 2.0 games out.

A win over the Islanders would not only help Nicholls keep pace in the Southland standings, but would also give the Colonels their first ever win over the Islanders.  Nicholls heads into Wednesday's contest 0-4 all-time against AMCC in a rivalry that dates back to just the 2006-07 season when the Islanders joined the Southland Conference.

AMCC figures to be well motivated on Wednesday night as tipoff against the Colonels marks the opening of the Islanders' Homecoming Week activities.  The Islanders have won two of their last three and three of their last five.  AMCC is led by Demond Watt, who is averaging nearly a double-double every night.  Watt averages 14.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per night, ranking him eighth and second in the conference, respectively.

Watt has recorded 9.0 double-doubles on the year, ranking him 26th nationally.  Watt also ranks among the national leaders in rebounds/game (30th, 9.6) and field goal percentage (11th, .594).

Nicholls counters with one of the best scoring duos in the nation in the form of senior forward Anatoly Bose and junior guard/forward Fred Hunter.  Bose enters his 12th consecutive week among the top ten in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.4 points per night.  The Sydney, Australia native has racked up 1836 points in his career, giving him sole possession of fourth place on the school's all-time scoring list. 

Hunter, who became the 23rd Colonel ever to surpass the 1,000 career point mark on Saturday with a 22-point day against Lamar,  joins Bose with a 15.4 point/game average and a .561 field goal percentage that ranks 32nd in the nation.

The Colonels also boast one of the best defenses in the country, beginning the week ranked 24th in the nation, and second in the country with a defense that allows just 60.7 points/game.  Nicholls also owns a +5.6 turnover margin that ranks fourth nationally and an 8.6 steal/game mark that ranks 30th in the nation.  Senior guard Kellan Carter leads the way for Nicholls with a 1.8 steal/game mark that ranks 71st in the nation and fourth in the conference.

Tipoff between the Colonels and Islanders is set for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night at The American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.  The game can be heard in the New Orleans-Houma-Thibodaux area on the Colonel Sports Radio Network, including flagship station KLRZ 100.3 FM and KLEB 1600 AM.