LAKE CHARLES – McNeese State's Cowboys and Cowgirls will open play in the 2015 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament this week – the Cowboys tipping off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday against Southeastern Louisiana and the Cowgirls at 11 a.m. on Thursday versus Houston Baptist.
 
Both teams are the tournament's No. 5 seed and all games will be played at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
 
Tickets are on sale at the McNeese ticket office. Fans can purchase an entire tournament package or packages that that contain just McNeese games.
 
The Cowboys will be making their league-record 28^th appearance in the postseason tourney and fifth straight. McNeese lost to Oral Roberts 66-62 in last year's first round playing as the No. 7 seed. The 5^th-seed is the highest for McNeese since being the No. 4 in the 2012 tournament when the Cowboys played their way to the championship game where they lost to Lamar.
 
McNeese has compiled 23-26 record in the tournament and has played in five championship games, winning the 1989 and 2002 titles.
 
The Cowgirls will play in their 16^th tournament and is 14-13 in tourney games. McNeese has advanced to at least the semfinal round four consecutive years and won the 2011 and 2012 tournament championships to earn the NCAA tournament bid.
 
Last year playing at the No. 7 seed, the Cowgirls beat No. 6 A&M-Corpus Christi 78-73 in the first round and No. 3 Central Arkansas 66-62 in the second round before falling 80-54 to No. 2 Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals.
 
2015 SLC Men's Tournament Schedule:
First Round, Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 5 McNeese State vs. No. 8 Southeastern La., 5 p.m
Game 2: No. 6 Nicholls vs. No. 7 UNO, 7:30 p.m.
 
Second Round, Thursday, March 12
Game 3: No. 4 Northwestern State vs. Game 1 Winner, 5 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Game 2 Winner, 7:30 p.m.
 
Semifinals, Friday, March 13
Game 5: No. 1 Stephen F. Austin vs. Game 3 Winner, 5 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Sam Houston State vs. Game 4 Winner, 7:30 p.m.
 
Championship, Saturday, March 14
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
 
2015 SLC Women's Tournament Schedule:
First Round, Thursday, March 12
Game 1: No. 5 McNeese State vs. No. 8 Houston Baptist, 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Northwestern State vs. No. 7 Central Arkansas, 1:30 p.m.
 
Second Round, Friday, March 13
Game 3: No. 4 A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Game 1 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 4: No. 3 Nicholls vs. Game 2 Winner, 1:30 p.m.
 
Semifinals, Saturday, March 14
Game 5: No. 1 Stephen F. Austin vs. Game 3 Winner, 1 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Lamar vs. Game 4 Winner, 3:30 p.m.
 
Championship, Sunday, March 15
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 12 p.m. (CBSSN)