THIBODAUX – As the Northwestern State men's basketball team settles into the rhythm of Southland Conference play, the Demons have learned the biggest adjustments to be made have little to do with in-game changes.
 
Instead, it has to do with handling business off the court.
 
"The biggest adjustment for these guys is recovery," first-year head coach Corey Gipson said. "They play a lot of minutes. So many factors play a part in the recovery of our guys in conference play. Our guys have really taken a hold of conference play in regard to how we structure game management, how we structure load management, prehab and rehab."
 
The Demons (10-7, 2-2) return to the road in conference play Saturday, facing Nicholls (7-9, 2-2) in the first of a three-game SLC road trip.
 
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. inside Stopher Gym. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with free streaming audio available at www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
While NSU returned just three lettermen from its 2021-22 roster, the Demons have eight players who have gone through the grind of a conference season at the Division I level.
 
Two of them – guards DeMarcus Sharp and Ja'Monta Black – know as well as any players in college basketball the toll a conference schedule can take on a player.
 
Both Sharp and Black were at Missouri State during the COVID-19-affected 2020-21 season in which the Missouri Valley Conference altered their conference schedule to play games on Saturdays and Sundays.
 
"It was crazy," said Sharp, who posted his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's win against McNeese.
 
"It felt like back-to-back-to-back-to-back. There was no middle day. We train ourselves to be ready for anything, but mentally it was a little frustrating. Physically, it was crazy. There were bodies hurting after bodies hurting. There weren't a lot of injuries, but now we know how to take care of our bodies."
 
After dropping its Southland Conference opener at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 31, the Demons successfully defended their home floor with wins against Nicholls and McNeese.
 
NSU made the necessary on-court adjustments to reverse the results of their Jan. 5 loss at McNeese. Saturday's game gives them the chance to do something similar while looking for the Demons' first season sweep of the Colonels since the 2016-17 season.
 
One of the more visible tweaks the Demons have employed in conference play has been the extension of their rotation.
 
Northwestern State received season-best scoring contributions from Jovan Zelenbaba and Cedric Garrett in the past two games with each providing key moments off the bench.
 
Zelenbaba was plus-9 in nearly 17 minutes against Nicholls on Jan. 7 while Garrett was a plus-15 and hit a key 3-pointer in the second half of Thursday's win against McNeese.
 
The Demons' defense showed up in the previous win against Nicholls, holding the Colonels to a season-low 48 points and limiting Nicholls to 35-percent shooting for the game.
 
"We've been more physical," Garrett said. "Get to the basket. Get to the free throw line and rebound. We know Nicholls is a really physical team. Last game was really physical, so if we keep that energy – actually a little more – we'll hopefully get the same outcome."