The men’s basketball team will be in action for the first time since classes resumed, as it travels to face Nicholls State on Thursday.

The team is 2-4 in conference play and 8-9 on the season while Nicholls State is almost identical to the Wildcats with a 2-3 conference record and a 9-9 overall record. Coming into the game, the Southland Conference standings remain tight, as each team has lost at least one game.

The Wildcats sit at 11th in the conference while Nicholls State is 9th. However, each team can bump up to 7th with a win and losses by Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and Houston Baptist.

“This next game means a lot,” said sophomore guard/forward Jaren Lewis. “It’s a big one for us. A W could really get us rolling and on the right track after going 2-2 at home these past four games. We know we have to play hard and give 100 percent for a full 40 minutes.”

Lewis has been the top scorer and rebounder for the Wildcats this season, averaging 14.2 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore point guard Jaylen Franklin has led the team in assists, averaging 3.2 per game.

The men are coming off a game where they came back from a double-digit deficit against Lamar and won 67-64 with a last-second half-court shot from freshman guard Payten Ricks.

For Nicholls State, senior guard DeAndre Harris leads his team in points, averaging 16.9 a game, while senior forward Ja’Dante’ Frye leads in rebounds, averaging 6.4 a game, and junior guard Jahvaughn Powell leads in assists per game with 3.8.

The previous game for Nicholls State was a lopsided loss to Stephen F. Austin by a score of 80-60, a team ACU defeated during its four-game home stand.

“We know we are going to have to play smart against Nicholls because they are a good team, and they’ve been really good at home in conference,” said Lewis.

The game will start at 6:30 p.m. Friday and will have live video coverage on the American Sports Network as well on the radio at 98.1 FM.