NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team (4-17, 2-8 Southland) will make the short journey to Hammond, La. to face Southeastern Louisiana (12-9, 6-4 Southland) before hosting Stephen F. Austin (9-12, 2-8 Southland) on Monday evening at Lakefront Arena.
Saturday's matchup with the Lions is set for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff, while the game against the Jacks will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
James White leads the Privateers and the Southland Conference in scoring with 19.2 points per game, ranking 28th in the NCAA. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games this season, including a streak of 13 straight. The Conyers, Georgia, native has reached 20 or more points in 10 games, tied for 31st in the NCAA. He also ranks third in the Southland in rebounding at 7.0 per game, leads the conference in defensive rebounds with 5.8 per game, and has recorded three double-doubles this season.
Freshman
MJ Thomas ranks eighth in the league in rebounding with 6.4 per game and leads the conference in offensive rebounds with 2.7 per game. The Privateers are the only team in the Southland with two players ranked in the top eight in rebounding.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
The Lions are 12-9 overall and 6-4 in Southland play. At the midway point of league play, they are tied for fourth with Northwestern State and Nicholls. They are 4-2 at home this season, with wins over William Carey, Loyola (New Orleans), UTRGV, and UIW. Their two home losses came against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and HCU, the latter in their most recent game.
Sam Hines Jr. ranks third in the Southland in scoring with 16.7 points per game. On Jan. 11, he scored 30 points against UNO at Lakefront Arena, earning Southland Player of the Week honors. He also leads the Lions in rebounding with 6.4 per game, tied for eighth in the Southland with
MJ Thomas.
Jakevion Buckley leads the Southland in steals per game (1.9) and total steals (40), ranking 56th and 68th in the NCAA, respectively.
SCOUTING THE JACKS
Stephen F. Austin's return to the Southland has not gone as expected. The Jacks are 9-12 overall and 2-8 in league play after being considered one of the preseason favorites.
The Jacks rank 24th in the NCAA and first in the Southland with 13.57 offensive rebounds per game. They also rank 30th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 64.8 points per game, 37th in steals with 8.7 per game, and 36th in turnovers forced at 14.86 per game. Matt Hayman leads the team with 12.6 points per game, while Nana Antwi-Boasiako is the top rebounder at 6.4 per game. Hayman and Chrishawn Christmas rank 77th and 92nd in the NCAA in total steals, respectively.
Stephen F. Austin was 4-2 at Lakefront Arena during its original stint in the Southland. The Privateers have lost four straight games to the Jacks and are 2-9 in a series that began in 2014 when UNO joined the Southland Conference.
COVERAGE INFORMATION
Both games will air on
ESPN+ and on
The Ticket 106.1 FM. Updates will also be provided on @PrivateersHoops on
X (formerly Twitter) throughout both games. Live stats available at the links above.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Keep up to date with everything New Orleans Privateers Men's Basketball. Follow @PrivateersHoops on both
Twitter/X, and
Instagram, like /
PrivateersHoops on Facebook and subscribe to the
UNOPrivateers YouTube.
