THIBODAUX, La. - Following a seventh consecutive winning campaign in league play, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will open up the Southland Conference Tournament Sunday night against No. 7 Northwestern State in Lake Charles.

Tipoff for the opening round game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The matchup will stream on ESPN+.

Nicholls (13-18, 12-10 SLC) finished the regular season in a tie for fifth place in the standings but claimed the No. 6 seed due to tiebreakers. The winner of Sunday night's matchup between the Colonels and Demons (10-21, 8-14 SLC) will advance to the quarterfinals to take on No. 3 UTRGV.
The Colonels swept the season series against Northwestern State with a pair of close wins. Nicholls edged NSU at home, 74-72, before escaping with a 61- 58 win on the road. 

Sophomore Jalik Dunkley was the star in the two wins, averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. His 17-point performance in the home win helped him land Southland Conference Player of the Week.

Redshirt senior Trae English has had a stellar ending to his final campaign, averaging 16.8 points and 4.0 assists in his eight full games since returning from injury. His most notable performance was his game-high 18 points in the win over Lamar, capped with the game-winning bucket in the final seconds. English put up two 20-point games in the stretch, including in the season finale against his former squad, McNeese. 

Nicholls is 3-2 in the SLC Tournament under head coach Tevon Saddler, reaching the championship game in 2024 before making the semifinals last season. Two of the victories were in overtime including last year's 74-70 win over UIW in the quarterfinals.

The Colonels will be taking on the Demons for the fourth time in tournament history, holding a 1-2 record. Nicholls lost the first two matchups in 2001 and '14 before winning 88-76 in the 2021 semifinals.