THIBODAUX, La. – Coming off of a tough road loss against one of the top programs in the nation, Florida State, the Nicholls State University basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Stopher Gym for a matchup with a formidable Mobile squad at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
 
The Colonels (0-1) briefly hung with the Seminoles in their regular-season opener on Sunday, but FSU pulled away for a decisive 109-62 victory at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee.
 
The Rams (4-0) opened their 2015-16 campaign red-hot, downing Selma, Pensacola Christian, Point and No. 19 Xavier. Mobile's 54-39 upset victory over the Gold Rush on Tuesday snaps an 11-game skid against Xavier.
 
In the most recent meeting between the programs, Nicholls picked up a 92-65 exhibition win over the Rams, but both squads have undergone major overhauls of their rosters since that time.
 
In last year's matchup Sam McBeath, Richie Lewis, Denzel Flemings and Amin Torres combined for 50 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. Nicholls will be without all four players on Thursday. Only McBeath remains on the Colonel roster, and he is unavailable due to injury.
 
The Rams lost a number of key players, but return Will Hornsby, who led Mobile with 19 points and eight boards against Nicholls last season.
 
A defensive-minded team, Mobile is averaging 67.5 points and holding its opponents to 57.5. The Rams are shooting 45 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from three-point range, while holding opponents to 32.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Mobile also boasts a plus-11 rebounding margin. The Rams only glaring weaknesses are free throw shooting and ball security. Mobile is shooting just 63 percent at the charity stripe and averages 19.5 turnovers per game.
 
The Colonels are led offensively by Ja'Dante' Frye and T.J. Carpenter, who scored 13 and 10 points respectively against Florida State. Frye grabbed four boards and Kyle Caudill dished out three assists to pace Nicholls on Sunday.
 
Following Thursday's matchup with the Rams, the Colonels will make a 4,200-mile flight over the Pacific Ocean to face Hawaii at 12:30 a.m. central time on Monday in Honolulu.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.