THIBODAUX, La. — Following Saturday's 84-43 win over Northwestern State, Central Arkansas (which has won four of its last five games) enters Wednesday night's game at Nicholls ranked No. 17 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

Green Bay and Delaware remain at the top two spots, with Florida Gulf Coast overtaking Gonzaga for No. 3. Princeton rounds out the top five. Green Bay (11), Delaware (16) and Gonzaga (25) are all ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Sugar Bears (12-4, 2-1) continue Southland Conference play tonight on the road at 6:30 against an improved Nicholls State team that comes in with a 9-7 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark.

The Colonels have already matched their highest win total since 2002-03, and will be shooting for their first 10-win season in a decade after going 11-16 in 2001-02. If they are to get there tonight, they'll have to do so against a Sugar Bear team that has won the last four meetings and leads the series 8-2 overall. After a runaway 91-56 win in Conway last January, the Sugar Bears followed with a 68-53 win over the Colonels in Thibodaux in February led by Megan Herbert's 25 points and 20 rebounds.

UCA has won in its last two trips to Stopher Gymnasium, also winning 61-54 in 2010. In 2009, the Sugar Bears fell 71-64.  

The game will feature the last two Southland Conference freshmen of the year in Herbert (2010) and Nicholls sophomore guard KK Babin, who won the award last year after averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Babin is the third of three Colonels averaging at least 14 points per game this season. Senior guard Sumar Leslie, a ULM transfer, leads the team and is second in the conference at 16.2 points per game. Junior forward Alisha Allen averages 14.4 and Babin 14.0. Babin also leads the Southland with 45 3-point field goals made, an average of 2.8 per game. She has made 37.5 percent of her league-leading 120 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Sugar Bears enter the game 4th in the nation in 3 point FG pct. defense (.224), 6th in scoring defense (49.4), 14th in scoring margin (+19.2), 23rd in turnover margin (+5.2), 26th in 3pt. FG per game (6.9), and 27th in FG pct. defense (.344).

Herbert is fifth in the league in scoring (14.8), first in rebounding (10.0), and fourth in field goal percentage (.494), with Courtney Duever just behind her at fifth with a .483 percentage. Micah Rice is fifth in the league in 3-point percentaeg at .373. Destinee Rogers leads the league with a 4.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play.

A win would move head coach Matt Daniel into a tie with Checola Seals-Horton at second on the UCA career wins list at 61, trailing only Ron Marvel's 494. Herbert needs 11 points to move past Sandra Reed for 9th on the school's career scoring list, and Westin Taylor needs three 3-pointers to overtake Amy Wiedower for 5th all-time at UCA.

After playing three of their first four league games on the road, the Sugar Bears will be home for their next three with Lamar coming to town on Saturday as part of a doubleheader, followed by Southeastern Louisiana next Wednesday and defending Southland champion McNeese State three days later on Jan. 28.