JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men’s basketball team will return to action on Thursday night, when they play host to Tennessee Temple at 7 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

The Gamecocks (1-1) host the Crusaders (8-2) for the second time in the last three seasons and for the ninth time overall. JSU holds a 7-1 advantage over TTU at Pete Mathews Coliseum and is 10-1 all-time against the Crusaders. They have dropped their last eight meetings with the Gamecocks, with their lone win coming on Dec. 4, 1973.

JSU is coming off an 82-71 win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 21, a game that was led by JSU newcomers Courtney Bradley and DeAndre Bray. Bradley, a 6-foot-5 junior from Utica, Miss., earned OVC Newcomer of the week honors after recording his first career double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Bray, a 5-foot-6 freshman from Atlanta, provided a defensive spark in the come-from-behind win and dished out seven assists.

Thursday’s game marks the second of a three-game homestand for JSU, one they will close on Monday with defending Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Champion Delaware State. JSU will then travel to Birmingham on Dec. 8 to open the Ohio Valley Conference season at in-state rival Samford.