THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will host Abilene Christian at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, with a special halftime presentation recognizing the 40^th anniversary of the 1975-76 championship team.
 
The 1975-76 Colonels posted the best record in Nicholls history, at 22-4. They won the Gulf South Conference Championship and the NCAA South Central Regional title, before falling in the Elite Eight. The Colonels were ranked second in the final Division II National Poll, and were voted "Louisiana's Team of the Year" by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches. Nicholls also set a GSC record with 17 consecutive wins. The squad will be honored at halftime on Saturday, and receive rings to commemorate their outstanding performance 40 years ago.
 
This year's Colonels (4-11) are coming off of a tough loss on the road against Memphis, but hope to put forth a strong performance in their second Southland Conference game of the year.
 
The Wildcats (6-8) had a rocky start to their 2015-16 season, but enter Saturday's matchup having won their last two games. In their most recent contest, ACU picked up a thrilling 62-61 road victory over Central Arkansas in their league opener.
 
Nicholls and Abilene Christian have only met twice in program history. In 2014 the Colonels earned a 79-60 victory in Thibodaux, while the Wildcats came away with a 71-54 win on Jan. 10, last season in Abilene.
 
Nicholls ranks 26^th in the nation in strength of schedule, while Abilene Christian ranks 335^th.
 
Ja'Dante' Frye leads the Colonels in average points (16.5), rebounds (5.9) and steals (1.2), while shooting a team-high 36.6% from three-point range. T.J. Carpenter averages 2.7 assists per game to pace the squad, and is second in average points (11.7) and boards (5.3). Liam Thomas leads Nicholls with 1.5 blocks per game.
 
Jaylen Franklin (14.4 points), Jaren Lewis (5.6 rebounds) and Jovan Crnic (3.1 assists) lead the Wildcats.
 
The Colonels next face a three-game road swing in Texas, beginning with a battle against Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.