NATCHITOCHES – Yes, the Northwestern State men's basketball team opens Southland Conference play Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
No, nothing changes for the Demons when they tip off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+ against the Islanders inside Prather Coliseum. A five-day, four-night cruise for two courtesy of The Quad apartments will be given away during the game.
 
"It's always been one day at a time," first-year head coach Corey Gipson said. "These guys have gone through a maturation phase. They've progressed in the program and in the system. They have really bought in. Our non-conference schedule really expedited the growth of the team."
 
Northwestern State (8-5) ended its non-conference slate this past Tuesday, falling to Texas A&M, 64-52, after a hot start that saw the Demons build a 15-point, first-half lead.
 
The Demons will face another member of the Texas A&M University System to start Gipson's first tour of Southland Conference duty in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-6), the defending tournament champions.
 
The tight-knit Demons, to a man, say chemistry is where they have made the most strides through their 13 non-conference matchups.
 
"We progressed the most just coming together," said senior guard DeMarcus Sharp, who leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game and assists with 51. "This stage of our season, it's tough right now. We've lost three straight. Now it's time for conference. That's the only thing we're focused on is conference. Us coming together has been the key."
 
Saturday's matchup marks the fourth meeting between the teams in the 2022 calendar year. The pair opened the 2022 Southland Conference Preseason Tournament in January before splitting their home-and-home regular-season series.
 
The Demons' roster, however, looks much different than in those previous three meetings. Similar to the Islanders a year ago, Northwestern State features a first-year coach who has greatly remade his team's makeup.
 
Five of the Demons' new faces – Sharp, Ja'Monta Black, Isaac Haney, Jordan Wilmore and Majok Kuath – have experienced conference play at the Division I level, giving them insight to share with the six D-I newcomers on the NSU roster.
 
"Listen to the older guys," Sharp said of his advice to the newcomers. "We've been through it. As long as they listen to the guys who have been through it, they'll be successful."
 
Gipson has spoken before of the importance of a challenging non-conference schedule in terms of aiding his team's growth.
 
To that end – along with an 8-2 start – the Demons succeeded.
 
"We have a plethora of options offensively," Gipson said. "We have depth in our guard play, depth in the front court. Our guard play has been a staple of our program, not from a scoring standpoint, but from a defensive standpoint, we've been consistent on the perimeter.
 
"The guy who has been the unsung hero on both sides of the ball in how he goes about his business has been Jordan Wilmore. Jordan takes up a lot of slack defensively when we're not handling business and defending certain areas on the floor. Then, even when he doesn't get the rebound, they have two guys boxing him out. Big Jordan Wilmore has been the unsung hero. For the non-conference schedule, we give Jordan Wilmore the MVP award."