NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State men's basketball team opens its home schedule Tuesday night in a position it has yet to find itself in 2026-27.
 
After three games against mid- and high-major competition to open the slate, the Demons return home to Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum to face Division III member Millsaps in the first meeting between the programs.
 
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN+. It also marks the beginning of the Northwestern State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's food drive to benefit the Natchitoches food pantry.
 
"It was a gauntlet of a three-game road swing," fourth-year head coach Rick Cabrera said of opening the season against Baylor, Mississippi State and Murray State. "We don't cry about spilled milk. I scheduled it that way, and I think we learned a lot about what it takes to be locked in every possession, every game, to try to win on the road."
 
The Demons (0-3) enter Tuesday's matchup as the higher-division team for the first time this season.
 
The three-game road trip allowed Northwestern to see how it measured up against teams with superior size.
 
"I'll be honest, going into those games, I thought our frontcourt would have an issue, because they're on the smaller end of those bigger guys," Cabrera said. "They held their own. DT (Dionjahe Thomas) and Kordrick (Turner) rebounded at a high clip. Kordrick scored when he was able to score. Kordrick made the passes out of the post against the bigger guys. DT had some spots where he's getting to that next level of what we expect from him."
 
Turner, a senior from Sulphur Springs, Texas, leads the Demons in rebounding at 5 per contest. He matched his career high with eight rebounds in Saturday's loss at Murray State, the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite, while adding a season-best eight points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Turner, a 6-foot-6, 240-pounder, turned in those numbers against a Racers' front line that featured a pair of 6-9 defenders and two others who stand 6-8. Turner's physical transformation has been on display in the Demons' first three games as well.
 
"He really committed himself from March until now," Cabrera said. "He really tightened his body up. He plays with a good pace. He's never fatigued. He's a second-year JUCO player, so he's one of those guys who aren't rattled in the situations we've been in."
 
Millsaps (2-0) swept two games at the Rhodes College Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, scoring wins against Eureka College and Austin College by an average of 21.5 points.
 
Jaxon Toney powered the Majors, averaging 11.5 points and 11 rebounds per game after notching a 13-point, 15-rebound double-double in Sunday's win against Austin.
 
Four Majors enter the game averaging at least eight points per game after the weekend sweep.
 
"We're excited to play a really good team in Millsaps," Cabrera said. "They had a good year last year (15-11), and they're off to a 2-0 start this year. They're a very athletic, disciplined-type team, but our guys are hungry for a win."