Nicholls St. looks to sweep SHSU

Sam Houston State (15-8, 8-4) vs. Nicholls State (14-9, 8-4)

David R. Stopher Gym, Thibodaux, Louisiana; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Nicholls State goes for the season sweep over Sam Houston State after winning the previous matchup in Huntsville. The teams last played each other on Jan. 4, when Sam Houston State made just three 3-pointers on 19 attempts while the Colonels went 13 for 32 from deep on their way to a 70-58 victory.

SUPER SENIORS: Nicholls State has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Warith Alatishe, Dexter McClanahan, Elvis Harvey Jr. and Andre Jones have collectively accounted for 63 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 69 percent of all Colonels points over the last five games.

CLAMPING DOWN: The Colonels have given up only 67.9 points per game to conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 73.4 per game they allowed to non-conference competition.MIGHTY MITCHELL: Across 23 appearances this season, Sam Houston State’s Kai Mitchell has shot 55.1 percent.

PERFECT WHEN: The Colonels are 6-0 when they block at least five opposing shots and 8-9 when they fall shy of that mark. The Bearkats are 8-0 when they hold opponents to 65 points or fewer and 7-8 whenever opponents exceed 65 points.

BEHIND THE ARC: Nicholls State’s McClanahan has attempted 156 3-pointers and connected on 32.1 percent of them, and is 5 of 19 over his last three games.

STOUT STATE: Nicholls State has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 26.7 percent of all possessions this year, the fifth-highest rate among all Division I teams.