NATCHITOCHES – With rare exceptions, most of the Northwestern State men's basketball team's non-conference schedule has followed a theme of reunion-based matchups.
 
The arrival of the home portion of the Demons' 2020-21 season features another in that line of thinking as former Southland Conference foe ULM comes to Prather Coliseum for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.
 
Sunday's game also marks the first time for the Demons (0-4) to play at home since a 95-73 win against New Orleans on March 4. The game can be heard on 95.9 FM and the Demon Sports Network. Free streaming audio and subscription video of the game can be heard and seen on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free through the Apple or Android stores.
 
"It will be great to play at home, because we don't get to play at home very often (in non-conference)," said head coach Mike McConathy, who owns a 12-8 mark against the Warhawks. "We're excited about the opportunity. We don't know what the crowd will look like, but it will be interesting."
 
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, seating inside Prather Coliseum will be limited to 1,000 fans with student attendance capped at 200. Fans will be required to wear a mask upon entry to the arena and will be asked to observe social distancing protocols.
 
There will be no programs distributed, and the information typically found in them can be accessed through the NSU app.
 
Shop-A-Lott Stores, the official tailgate provider of NSU Athletics, will debut its gameday Chevron gift card giveaway Sunday. Fans who check in to the game on the NSU Athletics app and participate in the "Shop-A-Lott Shuffle" will be entered to win.
 
The unique circumstances around the season have not taken the shine of the matchup with the Warhawks (0-1), especially for a pair of Demon seniors who grew up in Monroe.
 
Guard CJ Jones and center Larry Owens are more than familiar with ULM, which fell to Louisiana Tech, 78-62, in its season opener Thursday night in Ruston.
 
"That game is pretty much personal," said Jones, who leads the Demons with 12 assists and owns a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. "I'd like to go get a win. I grew up going to those games, played on that court in summer league. It's always enjoyable playing against them."
 
The Demons and Warhaws have met 125 times throughout the schools' histories and three times in Jones' and Owens' NSU careers.
 
They helped lead the Demons to a win against ULM in their freshman season, but the Warhawks have taken the two most recent meetings.
 
"It's special, because it's not often you get to play against the team where you came from," Owens said. "We've got a point to prove. We beat them first, but they beat us the last two times. It's more personal. We can't lose on our home court again."
 
The Demons are coming off their most complete effort of the season in an 74-68 loss at Big 12 member TCU on Thursday, one that saw Trenton Massner tally a season-best 21 points and freshman Kendal Coleman add a career-high 15.
 
Following Thursday's loss, McConathy praised his team's on-ball defense, which helped the Demons record a season-best 10 steals, reaching double figures in that category for the second time in five games dating to the 2019-20 season.
 
While the Demons are set to play their fifth game, ULM has played only one. Coupled with a roster that returns just three players who saw action against Northwestern State in the teams' 2019 meeting, the Warhawks present another interesting early-season challenge.
 
"They do a great job," McConathy said. "Keith Richard is a phenomenal game coach, just a great general coach. They've got one of our former staff members, Morris Scott, who we enjoyed having with us. It will be a really good situation to play an in-state rivalry and play at home."