THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls State University men's basketball will begin the Richie Riley era with a non-conference matchup against ACC member Boston College on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. The Colonels return a few core pieces from last year's squad, led by seniors Ja'Dante' Frye and Liam Thomas. Frye is the top returning scorer at 12.5 points per game and Thomas is second at 8.5 ppg and led the Southland in blocks with 2.5 per contest. Friday's game will be the first ever meeting between the schools.


THE STARTING FIVE
1.  A New Start            
The Colonels will be led by one of the youngest head coaches in the country, 33-year old Richie Riley. A graduate of Eastern Kentucky, Riley took over the reins from J.P. Piper, who coached at Nicholls for 11 seasons. Riley comes to Thibodaux after serving as assistant coach at Clemson University, UAB, and Coastal Carolina.  

2. Bean There, Done That             
Coming from Clemson, Richie Riley enjoyed some success against Friday night's foe, the Boston College Eagles. Last season, the Tigers swept BC, winning 65-54 at in Greenville, S.C. in the first meeting before spoiling Senior Night in Chestnut Hill with a 65-50 victory. In the 2014-15 campaign, Clemson handed the Eagles a 64-49 loss in their only meeting.

3. Liam's Block Party
Liam Thomas was named to the Southland Conference All-Defensive Team and received All-SLC Honorable Mention honors last season.  Thomas set the Colonel single-game blocks record with eight rejections against New Orleans and he flew past the single-season blocks record of 61, set by Ron Smith during the 1987-88 season. Thomas swatted 85 shots last year and already holds the career blocks record with 163, exceeding the mark of 146, set by Cedric Robinson (1982-83).

4. Last Season Recap
The Colonels were pitted against a brutal non-conference schedule, playing Florida State, New Mexico, San Diego State, SMU, Colorado, Houston, Memphis and Hawai'i, so early wins were tough to come by; however, Nicholls did pick up a win in Las Vegas over 20-win and NCAA Tournament participant Hampton. It wasn't until late in the season that the 2015-16 squad put things together as they rattled off four straight wins, including their lone win on the road, to make the Southland Conference Tournament. Nicholls went on to defeat McNeese in the first round in double overtime before this year's preseason favorite, Sam Houston State, ended the Colonels' season in the second round on a last-second shot. The Colonels finished with an 11-23 record and were 6-12 in the Southland.

5. Tough Slate                
Nicholls will face another tough non-conference schedule, starting with matchups against Boston College and Central Florida. Other opponents on the docket before conference play are Texas Tech, Florida State and UL Lafayette.


THE MATCHUP
Nicholls and Boston College will be squaring off for the first time in the schools' history. 


ABOUT THE EAGLES (BC Game Notes)
• Boston College is led by head coach Jim Christian, who is in his third season.
• BC lost four of its top six scorers from last season.
• Sophomore Jerome Robinson is the team's top returner after averaging 11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his rookie season.
• The Eagles welcome seven newcomers to the 2016-17 team with four freshmen and three graduate transfers.
• BC beat Stonehill in an exhibition game last Thursday, 81-74, at Conte Forum.
• Robinson led all scorers with 27 points while adding seven rebounds. He was 7-for-8 from the foul line.
• Graduate student Mo Jeffers added 20 points and seven boards. He went 9-for-12 from the floor.


New Look
The 2016-17 Colonel roster features a total of seven players who did not play last season, including five newcomers. Stevie Repichowski and Brett Weaver redshirted last season, while Tevon Saddler, Jahvaughn Powell, Lafayette Rutledge, DeAndre Harris and Roddy Peters transfered from other schools. Harris played at North Texas and Peters comes from South Florida, while the other three come from the juco ranks.

Double Up
Redshirt senior Ja'Dante' Frye was one of three Colonels to record double-doubles last season. Both of Frye's efforts came in the non-conference schedule as he had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Mobile, and followed up with a 12-point, 11-rebound effort at San Diego State.

Eyeing 1,000        
After scoring 425 points last season, redshirt senior Ja'Dante' Frye enters his final campaign with 820 career points and is looking to reach the 1,000-point milestone. A Thibodaux native, Frye prepped at E.D White Catholic.

Dead Last        
The coaches of the Southland Conference and less important, the SIDs, were not impressed with what the 2016-17 edition of the Colonels are selling as Nicholls came in last place in both preseason polls. The Red and Gray received 24 points in the coaches poll and 28 in the SID. Four-time defending champion Stephen F. Austin came in at second, projected in both polls to be dethroned by Sam Houston State.   

Staying Classy
For the second straight season, Nicholls will head out west to San Diego. After playing the Aztecs of San Diego State last year, the Colonels will take on the University of San Diego squad as part of the San Diego Classic. Nicholls will also play at New Mexico State and then have two games in Birmingham against Bethune-Cookman and Samford.


UP NEXT
Nicholls will head south for a Monday, Nov. 14 matchup at UCF in Orlando. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Following the contest, the Colonels will make their home debut with a special noon tipoff on Thursday, Nov. 17 against Mississippi College.