What: McNeese (2-5) at SMU (7-2)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Moody Coliseum; Dallas, Texas
TV: Spectrum Sports; ESPN3; DirecTV 789
Radio: Cajun Radio 1470/1290 AM; www.CajunRadio.com
McNeese Notes
SMU Notes
 
DALLAS – When McNeese hits the hardwood on Wednesday night here against SMU, it'll have been 10 days since the Cowboys last took the court.
 
Head coach Dave Simmons said the time off was put to good use to get healthy and to work on some things that needed to be corrected.
 
"I think the biggest thing is we have Stephen Ugochukwu back," said Simmons. "He's a big asset we weren't fortunate to have the last three games. I also thought we got the opportunity to clean up some things."
 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at SMU's Moody Coliseum. The game will be televised by Spectrum Sports and has been picked up by ESPN3. It'll also air on DirecTV channel 789 while audio will be carried on the McNeese Radio Network (1470/1290 AM and CajunRadio.com).
 
McNeese (2-5) is coming off a 92-72 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in its last outing back on Dec. 3. In that game, the Cowboys were firing on all cylinders through the first 14 minutes of the game and built a 14-point lead. But then it seemed they hit a brick wall as ULL mounted a 28-1 run to end the half then was able to keep the Cowboys at a distance in the second half to take the win.
 
The Cowboys managed just 15 rebounds the entire game. That's something Simmons said must be done better to have a chance against a very good Mustangs squad that enters with a 7-3 record. McNeese will have to work hard against SMU who ranks No. 7 in the NCAA with a +11.4 rebounding margin over its opponents on the season.
 
"The biggest thing is we need to improve on our rebounding," said Simmons. "Having Stephen back will help us obviously. We want to shoot the ball a lot better and keep people off the free throw line."
 
McNeese wasn't bad from the field against ULL, shooting 48 percent for the game and 55 percent in the second half, but the Cowboys have surrendered a total of 57 points from the charity stripe the last two games combined (26 by Texas State, 31 by ULL).
 
"That right there is a key element in us having some success is to keep teams off the line," said Simmons. "If we can do that, get to the line more ourselves and rebound the ball better and just get our guys playing with more confidence than we have in the past, we'll be successful."
 
SMU has won three straight and is coming off a 74-59 win over previously unbeaten TCU in its last outing on Dec. 7.
 
Three players score in double-figures for the Mustangs, led by sophomore guard Shake Milton's 11.7 points and senior forward Ben Moore with 11.6 per game.
 
SMU's starting five all stand 6-foot-6 or taller.
 
"The main thing that stands out for them (SMU) is their size," said Simmons. "They're all very skilled and very versatile athletes. They're still play with the style that Larry Brown taught them even though he's not the coach anymore. But they still run the system. The foundation is very strong."
 
SMU is coached by Tim Jankovich, who is no stranger to McNeese. Jankovich was head coach at North Texas in the 1990s when the Eagles were a member of the Southland Conference. He's now in his second season at SMU and has compiled a 15-3 record with the Mustangs.
 
McNeese is expected to stick with the starters of Jamaya Burr, Jarren Greenwood, James Harvey and LaBarrius Hill. Ugochukwu starting will be a gametime decision so it's expected that Lance Potier will get his fourth straight start where he's averaged 9.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in his last three games.
 
WORTH NOTING:
• SMU leads the all-time series 2-0 but its win in 2013 was vacated due to NCAA violations.
• The Cowboys are still searching for their first Division I win of the season and first non-conference win away from home since beating Mississippi State on Dec. 30, 2014.
• PG Jamaya Burr is ranked 2^nd in the SLC with 5.0 assists per game and is averaging 5.8 assists in his last 5 games.
• G James Harvey has made at least one 3-pointer in 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.
• McNeese is being outscored in the first half by an average of 41-31 but just 48-43 in the second half.