BOSTON – Playing its second game in three days, the Boston University men's basketball team will host Nicholls State on Saturday afternoon with the NESN broadcast set to begin at 1 p.m. As part of the Youth Day activities, the Terriers will hold a postgame autograph session and a limited poster giveaway.
Currently riding a three-game win streak, the Colonels (5-4) represent the first men's basketball team from the state of Louisiana to visit Case Gym, as the teams meet for the first time ever.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- BU is 1-2 all-time against teams from Louisiana with a 2001 victory against the University of New Orleans at Iowa and two losses at LSU during the 1970s.
- The Terriers are 2-1 at home this season following last week's 79-60 victory against UMass Lowell ... Back in November, they claimed a 94-57 win against Emerson and came up just short to America East preseason favorite Vermont, 78-72.
- In Thursday's loss at Dartmouth, junior Max Mahoney tallied a team-high 22 points after posting 23 against the River Hawks and has now recorded 20+ in back-to-back games for the second time in his career ... He went 10-of-14 against the Big Green and currently ranks 18th nationally with a 65.5 field goal percentage.
- Junior Tyler Scanlon is second on the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg and remains the team leader in rebounds (5.2 rpg), assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.3 spg) ... Sophomore Javante McCoy also averages double figures in scoring 11.3 ppg after shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc at Dartmouth.
- The Terriers are averaging 71.0 ppg and rank in the top 80 nationally at 47.9 FG%.
- On the defensive end, BU is holding teams to 41.2 FG% but has lost twice this year when finishing with a higher FG% (at Rutgers and Dartmouth).
SCOUTING NICHOLLS STATE
- The Colonels are visiting the city of Boston for the first time since opening the 2016-17 season with a 79-73 victory at Boston College.
- Nicholls State went 15-3 in the Southland Conference last season and 21-11 overall.
- This year, Nicholls State is 1-4 in true road games with an 83-80 win at Idaho and four double-digit losses to major conference opponents – Louisville, Washington State, Baylor and Ole Miss ... The Colonels won the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida with a 77-63 win over NC Central and 62-61 OT victory against Western Michigan.
- 6-foot-2 guard and Jackson State transfer Jeremiah Jefferson leads NSU at 16.6 ppg with 6-foot-3 guard and Central Michigan transfer Gavin Peppers close behind at 13.2 ppg ... 6-foot-5 wingman Brandon Moore Jr. owns a team-high 6.1 rpg with 7.2 ppg.
- NSU is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and averaging 71.8 ppg while holding teams to 73.0 ppg and 43.2 FG%.
- The Colonels are forcing 15.2 turnovers per game with the help of 7.0 steals while also adding 4.6 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY
- The teams are meeting for the first time in program history.
- BU is 1-0 against current members of the Southland Conference with a 69-63 season-opening victory over the University of New Orleans in 2001 at a tournament hosted by Iowa ... The Privateers were in the Sun Belt Conference at the time.
- The Terriers are 1-0 all-time against the Southland Conference after claiming an 87-65 home win against North Texas (now members of Conference USA) in 1994.
