LAKE CHARLES – OPERATION SELLOUT!
 
That's the battle call for fans to fill the arena when McNeese hosts Nicholls on Wednesday night in a Southland Conference matchup that features two of the top five teams in the league standings.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 at the McNeese H&HP Arena and tickets are available for just $5.
 
The Cowboys (11-9, 6-3 SLC) have won a league-best six straight games heading into Wednesday's contest and currently in fifth place while Nicholls (14-7, 8-2), winners of three-in-a-row and seven of its last eight, is sitting in second place.
 
"They're extremely talented," said McNeese head coach Heath Schroyer about the Colonels. "They are as talented 2-4 or 1-5 as any team in the league. They're a monster on defense and makes passing very hard."
 
The Colonels will come in +109 in turnovers and a +5.1 turnover margin. They force their opponents into nearly 20 turnovers a game.
 
"They really get after the ball," said Schroyer. "They press for 40 minutes and their defense can make switches 1-5."
 
McNeese isn't to shabby in that area either as it forces opponents into 15 turnovers a game and 17 times during home outings.
 
Sha'markus Kennedy is coming off a stellar week where he averaged 31.5 points a game, picking up league and state player of the week honors for the second straight week in the process.
 
Kennedy leads the team averaging 18 points a contest while grabbing 9.5 rebounds, ranking Nos. 3 and 1 in the league respectively. He's also sinking a league-best 69.9 percent of his shots which ranks him second in the nation.
 
A.J. Lawson follows Kennedy in the scoring department with 16.5 points per game while Dru Kuxhausen is adding 15.6 per contest. Kuxhausen is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in both three-pointers made (86) and threes made per game (4.3) while ranking third in three-point percentage (50.6).
 
Roydell Brown (8.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Myles Hutchinson (3.3 ppg, 1.5 apg) are expected to round out the starting five.
 
Nicholls has four players averaging double-figures in scoring – Dexter McClanahan (14.3), Elvis Harvey Jr. (12.2), Andre Jones (11.0), and Warith Alatishe (10.3).
 
McNeese won both meetings last season – 86-75 in Lake Charles and 84-75 in Thibodaux – those snapping a previous 5-game winning streak by the Colonels.
 
The Cowboys will close out their three-game home stand on Saturday against Lamar.