2023–24 Nicholls Colonels men's basketball team

2023–24 Nicholls Colonels men's basketball
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Record20–14 (13–5 Southland)
Head coach
Associate head coachDayshawn Wells
Assistant coaches
  • Stephen Rodgers
  • Asad Lamot
Home arenaStopher Gymnasium
Seasons
2023–24 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
McNeese † 17 – 1   .944 30 – 4   .882
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 14 – 4   .778 21 – 12   .636
Nicholls 13 – 5   .722 20 – 14   .588
Lamar 12 – 6   .667 19 – 14   .576
Southeastern Louisiana 10 – 8   .556 15 – 17   .469
Northwestern State 7 – 11   .389 9 – 23   .281
Texas A&M–Commerce* 6 – 12   .333 13 – 20   .394
New Orleans 4 – 14   .222 10 – 23   .303
Houston Christian 4 – 14   .222 6 – 23   .207
Incarnate Word 3 – 15   .167 8 – 23   .258
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition period
† 2024 Southland tournament winner

The 2023–24 Nicholls State Colonels men's basketball team represented Nicholls State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonels, led by first-year head coach Tevon Saddler, played their home games at Stopher Gymnasium in Thibodaux, Louisiana as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 20–14, 13–5 in Southland play, to finish third in the conference.[1]

Preseason polls

Southland Conference Poll

The Southland Conference released its preseason poll on October 10, 2023. Receiving 71 votes overall, the Colonels were picked to finish sixth in the conference.[2]

Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Southeastern 144 (6)
2 McNeese 142 (6)
3 New Orleans 132 (3)
4 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 124 (5)
5 Northwestern State 84
6 Nicholls 71
7 Texas A&M–Commerce 66
8 Houston Christian 50
9 Lamar 45
10 Incarnate Word 42

Preseason All Conference

Micah Thomas, a guard, was selected as a second team Preseason All Conference member.[2]

Roster

2023–24 Nicholls State Colonels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F 0 Mekhi Collins 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Cedar Hill, TX
F 1 Oumar Koureissi 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Harlem, NY
G 2 Robert III Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Albany, NY
G 3 Micah Thomas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Oklahoma City, OK
F 5 Diante Smith 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Fort Walton Beach, FL
F 6 Doctor Bradley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Los Angeles, CA
G 7 Taj Anderson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Queens, NY
G 9 Michael Jr. Gray 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Fredericksburg, VA
G 13 Byron Ireland 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Annapolis, MD
F 14 Taylor Blanchard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Morgan City, LA
F 15 Jamal Jr. West 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Baltimore, MD
G 21 Jalen White 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Pasadena, TX
G 24 Quinn Strander 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Thibodaux, LA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulane L 81–91  0–1
  24 – J. West Jr.   13 – M. Collins   4 – J. West Jr.  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,689)
New Orleans, LA
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		at LSU W 68–66  1–1
  18 – D. Smith   6 – tied (2)   4 – tied (2)  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (7,255)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 15, 2023*
6:00 p.m. 		vs. Denver
Jaguar Classic 		L 85–91  1–2
  22 – J. West Jr.   8 – tied (2)   6 – D. Smith  Mitchell Center (1,109)
Mobile, AL
November 16, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Alabama
Jaguar Classic 		W 102–97 3OT 2–2
  31 – J. West Jr.   10 – D. Smith   6 – J. West Jr.  Mitchell Center (3,445)
Mobile, AL
November 17, 2023*
6:00 p.m. 		vs. SIU Edwardsville
Jaguar Classic 		L 51–60  2–3
  16 – D. Smith   8 – tied (2)   2 – J. West Jr.  Mitchell Center (1,001)
Mobile, AL
November 21, 2023*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Blue Mountain Christian W 86–56  3–3
  18 – M. Gray Jr.   10 – O. Koureissi   5 – J. West Jr.  Stopher Gymnasium (450)
Thibodaux, LA
November 24, 2023*
1:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		at No. 25 Mississippi State L 61–74  3–4
  17 – J. West Jr.   13 – J. West Jr.   4 – J. West Jr.  Humphrey Coliseum (7,571)
Starkville, MS
November 28, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 9 Baylor L 70–108  3–5
  17 – R. Brown III   8 – J. West Jr.   2 – R. Brown III  Ferrell Center (7,166)
Waco, TX
December 2, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Louisiana Tech L 55–68  3–6
  16 – J. White   8 – J. West Jr.   3 – B. Ireland  Thomas Assembly Center (2,018)
Ruston, LA
December 9, 2023*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Elizabeth City W 84–70  4–6
  25 – B. Ireland   9 – J. West Jr.   3 – J. West Jr.  Stopher Gymnasium (544)
Thibodaux, LA
December 19, 2023*
7:30 p.m., BTN 		at Maryland L 67–73  4–7
  18 – D. Smith   18 – J. West Jr.   5 – D. Smith  Xfinity Center (11,004)
College Park, MD
December 22, 2023*
3:00 p.m., FloHoops 		at Towson L 55–65  4–8
  21 – J. West Jr.   11 – J. West Jr.   2 – D. Smith  Towson Center (2,011)
Towson, MD
December 30, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Mobile W 74–65  5–8
  24 – B. Ireland   8 – D. Smith   2 – tied (4)  Stopher Gymnasium (450)
Thibodaux, LA
Southland regular season
January 6, 2024
3:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Houston Christian W 98–94 OT 6–8
(1–0) 		 23 – J. West Jr.   10 – J. West Jr.   7 – D. Smith  Sharp Gymnasium (509)
Houston, TX
January 9, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southeastern Louisiana W 66–61  7–8
(2–0) 		 18 – D. Smith   12 – B. Ireland   7 – D. Smith  Stopher Gymnasium (500)
Thibodaux, LA
January 13, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lamar L 76–78 OT 7–9
(2–1) 		 25 – R. Brown III   9 – D. Smith   8 – D. Smith  Stopher Gymnasium (800)
Thibodaux, LA
January 15, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		New Orleans W 78–75  8–9
(3–1) 		 21 – J. West Jr.   7 – J. West Jr.   4 – J. West Jr.  Stopher Gymnasium (950)
Thibodaux, LA
January 20, 2024
3:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi L 59–69  8–10
(3–2) 		 20 – D. Smith   10 – J. West Jr.   2 – D. Smith  American Bank Center (1,532)
Corpus Christi, TX
January 22, 2024
TBA, ESPN+ 		at Incarnate Word W 78–74 OT 9–10
(4–2) 		 20 – 2 tied   6 – 2 tied   2 – 3 tied  McDermott Center (135)
San Antonio, TX
January 27, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas A&M–Commerce W 87–84 OT 10–10
(5–2) 		 29 – D. Smith   11 – D. Smith   3 – J. West Jr.  The Field House (351)
Commerce, TX
February 3, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Houston Christian W 83–73  11–10
(6–2) 		 23 – B. Ireland   5 – J. West Jr.   4 – D. Smith  Stopher Gymnasium (555)
Thibodaux, LA
February 5, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northwestern State W 73–66  12–10
(7–2) 		 17 – tied (2)   8 – D. Smith   5 – J. West Jr.  Stopher Gymnasium (625)
Thibodaux, LA
February 10, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Lamar L 56–75  12–11
(7–3) 		 15 – D. Smith   9 – D. Smith   3 – D. Smith  Neches Arena (2,353)
Beaumont, TX
February 12, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 67–63  13–11
(8–3) 		 20 – D. Smith   8 – J. West Jr.   2 – D. Smith  Stopher Gymnasium (560)
Thibodaux, LA
February 17, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		McNeese L 47–74  13–12
(8–4) 		 13 – D. Smith   7 – J. West Jr.   2 – tied (3)  Stopher Gymnasium (1,100)
Thibodaux, LA
February 19, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at New Orleans W 89–77  14–12
(9–4) 		 24 – R. Brown III   11 – D. Smith   4 – D. Smith  Lakefront Arena (708)
New Orleans, LA
February 24, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Texas A&M–Commerce W 85–70  15–12
(10–4) 		 19 – D. Smith   6 – J. West Jr.   6 – B. Ireland  Stopher Gymnasium (650)
Thibodaux, LA
February 26, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Incarnate Word W 92–82  16–12
(11–4) 		 28 – R. Brown III   4 – B. Ireland   7 – B. Ireland  Stopher Gymnasium (850)
Thibodaux, LA
March 2, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at McNeese L 62–83  16–13
(11–5) 		 29 – D. Smith   9 – D. Smith   4 – D. Smith  The Legacy Center (4,211)
Lake Charles, LA
March 4, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northwestern State W 68–62  17–13
(12–5) 		 21 – R. Brown III   9 – D. Smith   4 – B. Ireland  Prather Coliseum (745)
Natchitoches, LA
March 7, 2024
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Southeastern Louisiana W 80–54  18–13
(13–5) 		 22 – West Jr.   11 – West Jr.   6 – Ireland  Pride Roofing University Center (935)
Hammond, LA
Southland tournament
March 11, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(3) vs. (7) Texas A&M–Commerce
Second round 		W 72–51  19–13
  18 – R. Brown III   7 – tied (2)   5 – Q. Strander  The Legacy Center (270)
Lake Charles, LA
March 12, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		(3) vs. (2) Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
Semifinals 		W 81–73 OT 20–13
  22 – Smith   9 – tied (2)   5 – Gray Jr.  The Legacy Center (4,200)
Lake Charles, LA
March 13, 2023
4:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(3) at (1) McNeese
Championship 		L 76–92  20–14
  33 – Smith   6 – Collins   5 – Brown III  The Legacy Center (4,200)
Lake Charles, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central.

Sources:[3][4]

Conference awards and honors

Weekly awards

Weekly honors
Honors Player Position Date awarded Ref.
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Jamal West Jr. F November 13, 2023 [5]
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Diante Smith F January 11, 2024 [6]
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Diante Smith F January 29, 2024 [7]

See also


References

  1. ^ "Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24 Southland Conference Standings". ESPN. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Southeastern Edges Out McNeese as Favorites in Men's Hoops Preseason Poll; Team Announced". Southland Conference. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Nicholls State University. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "Nicholls Colonels Schedule 2023-24". ESPN Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Hill, James (November 13, 2023). "Jamal West Jr. of Nicholls Earns Opening Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  6. ^ Hill, James (January 8, 2024). "Smith of Nicholls Named Southland Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Hill, James (January 29, 2024). "Smith of Nicholls Tabbed Southland Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved January 30, 2024.