THIBODAUX, La. - With a bye already secured for next week's Southland Conference Tournament, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will look to carry a winning streak into the postseason as the Colonels take on rival Southeastern Thursday night at the University Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+ and ESPN New Orleans Radio 100.3 FM.

With Monday's win at Northwestern State, Nicholls locked up a single bye in the SLC Tournament. The victory by Lamar on Wednesday against HCU means the Colonels will be No. 3 with a win over SLU, or drop down to No. 4 with a loss. 

Nicholls (17-13, 12-5 SLC) and Southeastern squared off in Thibodaux for the opening week of the SLC slate with the Colonels leading the entire time in the 66-61 victory. Diante Smith led the way with a team-high 18 points and seven assists while Jamal West Jr. and Robert Brown III scored 16 each. On defense, Mekhi Collins had a big block in the final minute to help preserve the win. 

The Colonels rank 55th in the nation with 4.3 blocks per game, paced by West's league-leading 54 blocks. West was a force in the 68-62 win at Northwestern State as he swatted away a career-high six blocks. It was the most in a single game for Nicholls this season, surpassing Collins' five in the overtime win at UIW. 

On the offensive end, Smith and Brown are both averaging over 16 points per game in conference play and both are the top three-point shooters in the league. Brown leads all players with 3.1 made three-pointers per game at a league-best 46 percent while Smith is second with 2.7 per game and is third in percentage at .418. 

Southeastern (15-15, 10-7 SLC) will be looking for a Senior Day victory at the University Center. The Lions are 9-3 at home this season which includes handing McNeese its lone conference loss. 

The Lions are led on offense by Nick Caldwell (15.8 ppg) and Roger McFarlane (14.8), while Roscoe Eastmond is one of the nation's top assist leaders with 6.6 assists per game. 

SLU will be looking to snap a three-game skid in the series against the Colonels. The Lions won three times in the 2021-22 season but were swept last season.

UP NEXT
Nicholls will open play in the Southland Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 11. Game time and opponent is TBD. The tournament will be hosted by McNeese at the Legacy Center and tickets can be purchased here.