LAKE CHARLES, La. -  The Nicholls State University men's basketball team (13-11, 7-6 Southland Conference) will look to continue to gain ground in the tightest conference race in the country when the Colonels head to first place McNeese State (17-9, 9-4 Southland Conference) in the first game of a men's and women's basketball double header between the two in-state rivals on Saturday in Lake Charles.

The Colonels begin the week tied for fifth place in the conference tournament race.  With three games left in the regular season, Nicholls is right in the middle of a pack of ten Southland Conference teams separated by just 3.0 games.  No other conference race in the country has as many teams separated by as few games.

Saturday's match-up with the first place Cowboys offers the Colonels a chance to not only avenge a one-point loss to McNeese on Jan. 26 in Stopher Gym, but to make up part of the 2.0 game deficit the Colonels face for the top seed at the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament.

Nicholls heads into the series finale with the Cowboys riding a two-game winning streak that saw the Colonels pick up their first victories since losing junior guard/forward Fred Hunter to a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 8.  The Denton, Texas native was the team's leading rebounder, second leading scorer, and was ranked 19th in the nation in field goal percentage at the time of his injury.

The Colonels still feature one of the most consistent scoring threats in the nation in the form of senior forward Anatoly Bose.  The Sydney, Australia native recorded his school record 46th career 20-point game on Wednesday in a win over Central Arkansas.  Bose owns a 21.8 point/game scoring average, the tenth-best mark in the country.

However, the Cowboys feature a formidable offense of their own, featuring a trio of double-digit scorers.  McNeese is led by Patrick Richard's 16.0 point/game average, a total that ranks fifth in the conference.  Richard is backed up by Diego Kaplan's 15.2 point/game average and Stephan Martin's 10.4 points/game.  The Cowboys also feature one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, led by the league's leading rebounder P.J. Alowoya and his 10.0 rebound/game average.

Nicholls will look to answer with one of the most aggressive defenses in the nation, limiting opponents to 61.1 points/game the 25th best mark in the country.  The Colonels average 8.2 steals/game, the 35th best mark in the country, and a +5.2 turnover margin, the fifth best mark in the nation.

Tipoff between the Colonels and Cowboys is set for 3 p.m. at Burton Coliseum.  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.  The game will be preceeded by the Nicholls vs. McNeese women's game at 1 p.m.

Following the game, the Colonels will return to Thibodaux for the 2011 home court finale on Wednesday March 2 against in-state rival Northwestern State.