THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will begin a new era on Monday as first-year head coach Tevon Saddler and his Colonels head to New Orleans to face Tulane at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+ and ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.  

The Colonels will not only have a new look on the sideline, but the team returns just five players from last season's squad, which finished 16-15 overall and 11-7 in the Southland. Only three returnees significant minutes -- Micah Thomas, Jalen White and Mekhi Collins -- as the offense will have to replace 84 percent of the scoring.

Thomas is the top returning scorer at 8.4 points per game and was named Preseason All-Southland Second Team. Thomas averaged 3.2 assists and totaled 70 assists to just 25 turnovers. White drained 33 three-pointers at an impressive .508 mark, making four or more triples in four games including a five 3-pointer outing. Collins is the lone post returning for the Red and Gray. in 19 games last season, he averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds and was also fourth on the team with 15 blocks.

Saddler, a former Colonel and the youngest Division I men's basketball coach at 28 years old, will be looking to be the third straight head coach to winning their coaching debut for the program. Richie Riley's team won at Boston College in 2016 while Austin Claunch secured a home win over Mississippi College in 2018. 

But the Colonels face tough opposition for their opener as Tulane is coming off a 20-win season under Ron Hunter. The Green Wave won 12 league games en route to their first 20-win campaign since 2012-13. Tulane is led by Jaylen Forbes who averaged 18.5 points per game last season and was named AAC Second Team.

Tulane has enjoyed a near perfect history against the Colonels with a 20-1 record in the all-time series. The lone Colonel victory came in 2010 in Thibodaux thanks to a typical performance by Hall of Famer Anatoly Bose who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. In the last meeting in 2017, Nicholls nearly picked up win No. 2, falling 76-69 at Tulane. Saddler scored 24 points to pace the offense, but the Colonels were unable to hold on to a 20-point second-half lead.