NATCHITOCHES – Rick Cabrera has been at Northwestern State since March, but it did not take him long to understand the importance of NSU's rivalry with Stephen F. Austin.
 
Cabrera, along with the 14 newcomers on the Northwestern State men's basketball roster, will have their first chance to taste the rivalry Monday night at 6:30 when the Demons host the Lumberjacks.
 
The game will air on ESPN+. It will be Throwback Night inside Prather Coliseum. There will be a throwback jersey contest for NSU students, although all fans are encouraged to wear their favorite old-school jersey.
 
"It's a great tradition," said Cabrera, who named Julius Erving his favorite throwback jersey. "I believe it's been around a hundred years, and they've been in the same conference for probably 99 of those. It's a great opportunity. These are two proud programs that have a lot of tradition."
 
They also have several similarities.
 
Through two games, both teams are 1-1 with a win against a non-Division I program on opening night and a road loss in the second game.
 
Both teams are in the top 40 nationally in turnovers forced per game. The Lumberjacks force 22.5 per contest – eighth nationally -- while the Demons have hassled their opponents into an average of 18 turnovers per game, ranking 40^th among Division I teams.
 
Northwestern State, meanwhile, has turned the ball over 13.5 times per game while the Lumberjacks have been more turnover prone, committing 22.5 miscues per game.
 
"Stephen F. and us, we play the same kind of defense," Cabrera said. "We deny passing lanes, and we don't allow teams to run their offense. Those guys are tough over there. I've known (SFA coach) Kyle (Keller) a long time and some of the guys on his staff. They have some great size and physical guys. We're looking forward to a tough, physical game."
 
The Demons were a minus-4 in turnover margin in their Nov. 9 loss at Tulane while the Green Wave had an eight-point advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Squaring off with a turnover-hungry Lumberjack defense will place an emphasis on Northwestern State's guard play.
 
"We can't have too many turnovers," said junior guard Chase Forte, who has averaged four steals per game through his first two games as a Demon. "They like to get out and run in transition. We do, too. I'm honestly expecting either a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game, depending on what happens on defense."
 
Monday's matchup marks the final November home game for the Demons, who will not return to Prather Coliseum until a Dec. 16 matchup with Rice.
 
"Going into a season, you want to win all of your home games," Cabrera said. "We only have 13 this year, and we have a great opponent coming in here. We're going to try to give the fans something good to look forward to."