STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will take on its second nationally-ranked opponent, heading to Starkville for a Saturday matchup against No. 17 Mississippi State. The Colonels are searching for their first-ever win over a ranked opponent and first victory in the series against the Bulldogs, who have won all six previous meetings.
Tipoff against the Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum is scheduled 2 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
Nicholls is coming off an 88-73 victory over rival Southeastern Thursday night thanks to another strong shooting performance by the Red and Gray. The Colonels shot 51 percent for the game, improving to 4-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better. Nicholls will try to keep up the offensive prowess against Mississippi State (10-0), which brings a stiff 35 percent field goal defense.
Caleb Huffman and
Latrell Jones led the offense with 17 points each and both rank in the top five in the Southland in scoring at over 15 points per game. Huffman has been on a hot streak as of late, averaging 18.8 points on 60 percent shooting in his last five games.
Nicholls has been one of the best teams in the nation in causing turnovers, ranking ninth in the NCAA with 19.4 per game. But Southeastern had just 14 in the league opener Thursday and tied the Colonels with 15 points off turnovers. As a team, Nicholls is averaging 21.9 points off turnovers per outing.
Mississippi State (10-0) is one of just seven Division I teams that have yet to suffer a loss this season. The Bulldogs have climbed into the rankings with an unblimished record, which includes Fort Myers Tipoff title after claiming wins over Marquette and Utah. State opened the season with a 63-44 win over Southland member Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Tolu Smith leads MSU with 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds. The 6-foot-11 forward has three games with 20 or more points with the last coming in the win over Minnesota on Sunday.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 6-0, winning the previous matchup 67-58 in 2010.
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