THIBODAUX – It's not postseason yet, but to get there will require a playoff mentality for the Northwestern State Demons this week, beginning Wednesday night at Nicholls.

The Demons are among seven teams battling for three remaining slots in the eight-team Southland Conference Tournament next week in Katy, Texas. NSU (11-18 overall, 6-10 in the conference) is tied for ninth place with Central Arkansas, Saturday's opponent, and a notch ahead of Nicholls (12-17, 5-11).

"It's wide open and there are lots of possibilities, but we only control how we do," said 20^th-year coach Mike McConathy. "We're focusing on Wednesday night, being the best we can be, and finding a way to come home with a win."

Nicholls and NSU opened the Southland season Jan. 2 in Natchitoches, with the Colonels prevailing 78-72. Tipoff for the rematch is 7 p.m. Wednesday at Stopher Gym.

 "Nicholls had 22 3-pointers in a game a couple of weeks ago and they're willing to put it up from anywhere. They spread the floor, do a great job with pick and rolls, and they present a real challenge," said McConathy. "We have to be aggressive defensively, get going in transition and be productive there. Offensively we've got to go inside to Ishmael Lane and Larry Owens and do a good job of working inside-out."

Northwestern is looking for its first Southland Tournament berth since 2015. Despite a 69-55 setback last Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana, which won for the 11^th time in 13 games, McConathy likes what he sees entering the decisive final week.

"We believe we're playing good basketball. For 28 minutes against a very good Southeastern team Saturday in Hammond, we were toe-to-toe with them, but they went to another level with tremendous offensive efficiency and dynamic rebounding and we weren't able to match that.

"But I liked how we reacted. I like the resolve I've seen from our guys and hopefully that translates into one of our better performances Wednesday night," he said. "We've been pretty fair on the road."
NSU is 3-5 in league road games.

The Demons follow senior forward/center Ishmael Lane, who is averaging 13.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Lane is 10^th on NSU's career scoring list, 15 points from tying guard Roman Banks for ninth place. He also ranks eight in career rebounding (817) and third all-time in blocked shots (163).

Junior guard LaTerrance Reed, after a 14-point outing at SLU, has pushed his scoring average in league games to 10.1.

Nicholls guard Gavin Peppers, whose 24 points included five 3-pointers in the first meeting of the teams this season, is one of three double-digit scorers for the Colonels. Jeremiah Johnson tops the list with a 16.5 average, followed by Peppers (13.8) and Kevin Johnson (10.3). Nicholls is sinking 36.5 percent behind the 3-point arc.

The Colonels will play their fourth straight home game. The homestand opened with a 100-57 thrashing of UCA, but hard-fought losses to McNeese (84-75) and New Orleans (80-70) in the last two games.

The contest, called by 14-year veteran announcer Patrick Netherton, can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL, 103.1 FM KBDV and on the Demon Sports Network. Streaming audio is available at www.NSUDemons.com/watch and through the new Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store or on Google Play. The contest can be viewed on a pay-per-game basis at GeauxColonels.com.

NSU's regular-season finale against UCA is Saturday afternoon at 3 on "Basketball Reunion Day" at Prather Coliseum, with former players invited back for a noon luncheon before the women's game at 1.