On Thursday, the St. Edward's men's basketball team will begin the back half of its divisional schedule with a road game against Texas A&M - Kingsville at 7:30 p.m.

The quick rematch from the Hilltoppers' Jan. 1 loss to the Javelinas marks the beginning of a slate of games against opponents St. Edward's has already faced this season. For UCHE DIBIAMAKA and MASON HIX, it's the last game they're guaranteed against Kingsville and Texas A&M International. 

Dibiamaka is playing with the appropriate sense of urgency, ramping up and approaching last season's all-conference form, shooting 50 percent or better from the field in four of his previous five games while playing stellar defense guarding multiple positions. 

"When you start the season and that first practice, you think you have all the time in the world. Then, before you know it, there are only 10 guaranteed games left in their college career," St. Edward's head men's basketball coach Andre Cook says. "UCHE DIBIAMAKA is quiet and doesn't say much, but he knows he's only guaranteed 400 more minutes in his college career." 

While Dibiamaka and Hix are nearing the end of their collegiate careers, St. Edward's young core of freshman SEAN ELKINTON and sophomores BLAKE NIELSEN and GAVINO RAMOS is just settling into theirs. As the Hilltoppers prepare for the back end of their divisional schedule, set for a string of rematches over the next few weeks, the first- and second-year students finally have a feel for the pressure of LSC basketball while playing significant roles. 

"Gavino and Blake are great program guys who got some minutes last year but not a ton. They're good kids who do a great job in the classroom and want to be coached," Cook says. "The first two years are a time of great improvement, and these are guys I can trust out there. They know how to play and have gotten better. However, this is the second time around, and teams know about these guys now, so they'll have to adjust." 

Nielsen has been a playmaking revelation all season and moved up on the priority list of opponents' scouting reports judging by the attention Angelo State paid him, putting its top defender on him. The Rams were physical from the jump, forcing turnovers in a way Kingsville will try to mimic. 

"When [Angelo State] put Steve Webb, maybe the best defensive player in the league, on Blake, we knew they knew something," Cook says. "The reality is these Thursday and Saturday games are against physical opponents, and we don't have that type of team."

St. Edward's faces a Texas A&M-Kingsville team that handed the Hilltoppers their first conference loss behind a career effort from fifth-year senior big man Will Chayer after foul trouble hampered Elkinton. 

The Hilltoppers' freshman center has gotten stronger as the year has gone on, leading the conference in double-doubles, total rebounds, and field goal percentage while scoring a combined 40 points and 24 rebounds over two games last week. 

 "Defensively, we're throwing so much at Sean. We ask him to trap ball screens, sprint back, guard the center and rebound everything," Cook says. "We're asking so much of this 18-year-old kid, and he almost always delivers."

With four games in eight days, the season is accelerating toward its end. 

"Blake and Gavino know the offense inside and out. They know what it looks like at its best. Uche is getting back to his old self and being more aggressive, and what more can you say about Sean," Cook says. "We can get JEFF GARY going more to help, and we'll need bench contributions from Bennett, Mason, and Uzo. It's that time of the year, and it's almost February. We're in the heart of it."