THIBODAUX, La. - Following the first two weeks on the road, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will play its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Blue Mountain Christian. Tipoff for Coach Saddler's Stopher Gymnasium debut is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Nicholls (2-3) picked up two true road wins in the opening weeks, notching victories at LSU and at South Alabama. The Colonels' three setbacks came at Tulane, and neutral court games against Denver and SIUE in Mobile.

The win over South Alabama was an all-time thriller, lasting three overtimes before Nicholls came out on top, 102-97, Former Jaguar Jamal West Jr. poured in 31 points while Diante Smith, who also played at USA, and Robert Brown III had 19 points each. The Colonels then played the next day and fatigue resulted in a season-low shooting performance. 

West leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game, and is joined in double figures by Smith (16.4 ppg), Jalen White (14.4) and Brown (10.6). As a team, Nicholls is averaging 77.4 points while surrendering 81.0.

Blue Mountain Christian, an NAIA program out of Mississippi, holds a 4-4 mark on the season. The Toppers reeled off a three-game winning but have last the last two. 

Nicholls and BMC will be squaring off for the fourth time since 2017 with the Colonels winning all three matchups. The closest victory was an 87-69 decision in the 2021-22 season.