RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University's men's basketball team will play its first Atlantic Sun Conference home games of the season when North Alabama visits Richmond on Thursday and Central Arkansas comes to town on Saturday.
 
Thursday's game will begin at 7 p.m. ET.  Saturday's contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.  Both games will air live on ESPN+.  The live audio broadcast of the game is available worldwide on EKUSports.com and the EKUSports app.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU (4-11, 0-2 ASUN) lost both games of an ASUN road trip at Queens and West Georgia last week.
 
-  The Colonels have held their first two conference foes to 22% shooting from 3-point range (8-for-37).
 
-  Sophomore newcomer Juan Cranford Jr. scored a team-best, and season-high, 20 points at West Georgia and leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game.
 
-  In just his second game back after missing eight games with a hand injury, Jalen Cooper finished with 12 points and seven rebounds at West Georgia.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
-  North Alabama is 5-8 this season and has lost four in a row, including its first two conference games at home against Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast.  
 
- The Lions have been limited to 69 points per game and 29% shooting from 3-point range this season.  Donte Bacchus, a 6-foot-7 senior forward leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game.  Cornelious Williams, a 6-foot-9 redshirt junior forward, averages 12.6 points and an ASUN Conference-best 9.8 rebounds per game.
 
-  Central Arkansas is 7-8 on the year and off to a 2-0 start in ASUN play after homecourt victories against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.  The Bears will play at Bellarmine on Thursday.
 
-  UCA is strong defensively, ranking third in the league in scoring defense (74.67 ppg), third in field goal percentage defense (43.8%) and second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (31.4%).  Camren Hunter, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game while shooting 46% from the field.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  EKU is 4-3 all-time against North Alabama, and 3-1 in games played in Richmond.  UNA won last season's meeting, 88-67, in Florence on Jan. 4, 2025.  The Colonels won the last game in Richmond, 75-72, on Feb. 22, 2024.
 
-  EKU is 5-2 all-time against Central Arkansas and has won five straight in the series.  The Colonels are 2-1 in games played in Richmond.  EKU won the last meeting, 89-83 in two overtimes on Jan. 2, 2025 in Conway.