LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Coming off its first victory of the season, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will look to put together a winning streak as the Colonels will play two games in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic, held at Orleans Arena on Nov. 25-26.
Nicholls (1-3) opens the weekend against UC Irvine (4-1) at 6 p.m. central on Friday. The Colonels will then play the winner/loser of San Diego vs. New Mexico State on Saturday at either 4 or 6 p.m.
Both games can be viewed via Event Live+ for a fee. Fans can follow along on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM, listening on the radio or the
TuneIn app.
The Colonels last made the trip to Las Vegas for the Holiday Classic in 2015 where they split the two games. Nicholls defeated Hampton in the opener, 84-81, before falling in the championship versus Canisius, 83-74.
Nicholls is coming off a 45-point victory in its home opener against Jarvis Christian on Tuesday, led by a Colonel career-high 24 points by
Caleb Huffman. He enters the weekend ranked second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game.
Micah Thomas heads the offensive attack at 15.0 ppg while
Latrell Jones (12.0) and
Marek Nelson (11.3) are also averaging double figures.
Nicholls and UC Irvine will be meeting for the first time. The Anteaters have four wins on the season, highlighted by a big 69-56 victory over nationally-ranked Oregon. Dawson Baker and DJ Davis pace the offense with 12.4 points per game.
For Saturday's potential matchups, the Colonels have played both San Diego and New Mexico State once prior -- each coming in 2016. The Toreros picked up an 81-72 over the Colonels while New Mexico State won 86-74.
San Diego is 4-1 on the season but Friday's contest against NM State will be its first road test. The Aggies are 1-1 after dropping a 67-64 road game at UTEP.
