THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team begins its 2022-23 season with a matchup against No. 17 Arizona on Monday, Nov. 7. Tipoff in the McKale Center is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. central.

The game will air live on the Pac-12 Networks and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM. 


THE OPENING TIP
- Nicholls is coming off a second-straight outright Southland Conference Regular Season championship and first-ever appearance in the NIT.
- Nicholls returns two starters from last year's championship team -- Latrell Jones and Pierce Spencer. Jones was an all-league third-team selection while Spencer and Manny Littles joined him as preseason All-SLC honorees.
- Head coach Austin Claunch will have his most experienced group as he welcomes back eight returners from last season.
- The Colonels are 3-1 in season openers under fifth-year coach Austin Claunch. Nicholls won Claunch's debut in 2018 against Mississippi College, fell in overtime at Illinois, then won the last two against UC Davis and Northern Iowa.

THE MATCHUP
- Nicholls is 0-1 all-time against Arizona. The only previous meeting was in the 1998 NCAA Tournament where the No. 1 seed Wildcats picked up a 99-60 win in Sacramento. Arizona went on to reach the Elite 8.
- The Colonels are 0-23 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Nicholls had two games against Top 25 last season, playing against No. 9 Baylor (89-60) and No. 3 Purdue (104-90).
- Arizona is one of four Power 5 programs that the Colonels will face this season. On the slate are Big 12's Texas Tech and Baylor, and SEC member Mississippi State. 
- The Colonels are 1-10 all-time against the schools from the Pac 12. The lone victory was against Oregon State in 1993 in the BYU Cougar Classic. Nicholls was led by future Hall of Famer Gerard King with a double-double, 21 points and 11 rebounds, and a game-high 27 points by Terrel Castle.
- Nicholls is 0-3 under Austin Claunch with losses to Washington State ('19), Cal ('20) and Oregon State ('21).

SOUTHLAND CHAMPS
Nicholls claimed its fifth Southland regular season title and third in the last five seasons.
- The Colonels finished 11-3 in conference last season and won the title outright by beating New Orleans in a winner-take-all finale as both teams headed into he matchup tied at 10-3 in the standings.
- Two years ago, the Colonels won their fourth Southland regular season title after going 14-2 in league play and 18-7 overall.
- The previous two championships came in 1995 and '98, where Nicholls also went on to win their only tournament titles.
- Nicholls tied for second in 2020 but did not have a chance to play in the postseason after everything was canceled due to COVID. 

PRESEASON POLL
- Coming off consecutive Southland Conference regular season championships, Nicholls was voted to finish second in the 2022-23 Southland Preseason Poll.
- The Colonels received six first-place votes and totaled 137 points, trailing last season's Southland Tournament champ Texas A&M-Corpus Christi which registered 11 top votes and 149 points. The Colonels defeated the Islanders three times en route to a second straight outright championship, but fell to the Islanders in the conference tournament. New Orleans (129) took third with two first-place votes and was followed by Southeastern (105), McNeese (97), Northwestern State (92), Texas A&M-Commerce (56), HCU (55), Lamar (44), and UIW (36).
- Nicholls had the second most preseason honorees with three, second behind AMCC's four selections.

FOLLOW THE COLONELS
Follow Nicholls Men's Basketball on social media on Twitter (@Nicholls_MBB) and Instagram. Follow Colonel Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the official YouTube channel (Nicholls Athletics).