Key matchup: Jamal West Jr. has been defensive anchor, rebounding leader for surging Nicholls State team

Not unlike Gonzaga, Nicholls State has relied on a balanced attack this season, with multiple players capable of stepping up and carrying the offensive torch on any given night for a team that’s won five consecutive games.

Both the Zags and Colonels have had five leading scorers through their first stretch of games, which makes things precarious when trying to select a single player for the key matchup.

Byron Ireland, Nicholls State’s top scorer and assists leader, didn’t play in the team’s most recent game, a 110-66 victory over NAIA Southern University New Orleans, and even though the senior guard traveled with the team to Spokane, it’s unclear if he’ll be available to play during the team’s two-game Pacific Northwest swing against Gonzaga or Seattle U.

Instead, we’ll select Jamal West Jr., one of the other two double-digit scorers on coach Tevon Saddler’s roster. He’s the only Nicholls State player to land on the preseason Southland Conference team that also featured three players from McNeese State, which lost to Gonzaga in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

A senior forward from Baltimore, West is also the only returning Colonel to earn All-Southland Conference honors last season, landing on the second team as well as the all-defensive team.

West is third on the team, averaging 10.4 points per game, but leads the Colonels in rebounding (6.5 rpg). The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward is also blocking shots at an impressive rate, 1.5 per game, and is likely to handle the defensive assignment guarding Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi and Ben Gregg on Wednesday.

Those two will probably match up against West at the other end of the floor, too. The veteran forward does most of his work inside and has only attempted three 3-pointers this season.

West has shown the ability to create foul pressure on opponents and led the Colonels in free-throw attempts last season with 204 – twice as many as Nicholls State’s next-best player.

He’s shot a team-high 48 free throws this season, but is only converting at a 66% clip for a team that ranks No. 326 nationally at 64% from the free-throw line.