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THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team heads to Destin, Florida, for the Emerald Coast Classic with a matchup slated against North Carolina Central on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT.

The Colonels (2-4) suffered their second-straight loss Tuesday at Ole Miss despite a 14-point second-half effort from graduate transfer Gavin Peppers. The Washington D.C. native has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

Nicholls is prepped for its first-ever matchup with the Eagles (1-4). N.C. Central has struggled with a similar schedule, falling at Clemson (71-51), Cincinnati (73-51), Bowling Green (75-60) and George Mason (78-63).

The Eagles are spearheaded offensively by Randy Miller Jr.'s 18.2 points per game and return all five starters to a squad that made an appearance at the NCAA Tournament last season. NC Central's roster also features a BOXTOROW All-American in redshirt senior center Raasean Davis; the Kent State transfer is nearly averaging a double-double (12.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg) through five games.

The Colonels will then face either Southern or Western Michigan on Saturday. The Jaguars and Broncos also play Friday. The two losers will battle at 10 a.m. with the two winners playing at 12:30 p.m.  

Get your season or single-game tickets now by calling 985-448-4790 or visiting nichollstickets.com. For the latest news on Nicholls men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_MBB.