LAKE CHARLES – McNeese and Louisiana-Lafayette will renew one of the longest-running rivalries in the history of each program on Sunday when the two battle in McNeese's Legacy Center in front of an expected sold-out crowd for the Battle of I-10 matchup.
 
Fewer than 150 general admission tickets remain for the highly anticipated contest. Standing room only tickets will be available once general admission is sold out. Fans can purchase online at McNeeseSports.com/tickets.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Sunday's game will be the 99^th meeting in the series that began back in the 1940s and was a heated and bitter rivalry through the early 80s. The Cajuns hold a 63-35 lead and have won eight straight in the series, including last year's 78-70 win in the Legacy Center.
 
McNeese (9-2) has matched its best start through the first 11 games since the 1976-77 season and will be going for its 10^th win in first 12 games for the first time since 72-73. The Cowboys are coming off a 67-48 win over Southern Miss on Wednesday night to improve their record to 6-0 in the Legacy Center while capturing their fourth-straight win for the second time this season.
 
ULL (6-4) defeated Eastern Kentucky 73-62 in its last outing on Wednesday to snap a two-game losing streak.
 
Three Cowboys are averaging double-figures in scoring for the season, led by Shahada Wells with an 18.5 average. Christian Shumate is averaging a double-double at 12.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while DJ Richards, who is coming off a career-high 24-point performance against Southern Miss, is chipping in with 11.2 points per game.
 
Wells is ranked third in the Southland Conference in scoring while Shumate is first in the league and 15^th in the NCAA in rebounding. Shumate and Wells are 1-2 in the league in field goal percentage, 54.8 for Shumate and 54.5 for Wells.
 
Omar Cooper, who is second in the conference with 4.2 assists per game, also leads the league and is No. 2 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio with a 5.75 mark. In 11 games played on the season, Cooper has dished out 46 assists to just eight turnovers, and in the last four games which he started, that number is 24-to-4.
 
McNeese will see the debut of highly touted forward transfer CJ Felder on Sunday after the NCAA's decision to grant waivers to all transfers through the end of the spring season.
 
Felder, who played at Boston College and Florida before transferring to McNeese, will give the Cowboys a huge boost in the rebounding area, one where McNeese is already out-rebounding its opponents by a 6.2 margin.
 
As a team, McNeese leads the Southland in 11 different categories and is in the top 10 in the NCAA in six categories including scoring defense (56.5 ppg) where it ranks No. 3 in the NCAA, field goal defense (35.5%, 4^th in NCAA), scoring margin (24.4, 5^th in NCAA), turnover margin (6.7, 5^th in NCAA), turnovers per game (9.0, 6^th in NCAA), steals per game (11.5, 7^th in NCAA).
 
The Cajuns are led in scoring by Kobe Julien who is averaging 20.2 points per game. Julien has scored double-figures in all 10 games on the season and has netted 20 or more four times including a 30-point outing against Buffalo back on Nov. 21.
 
A win on Sunday will give McNeese its 1,100^th all-time win.
 
WILL WADE DEBUTS WITH 19-POINT WIN OVER SOUTHERN MISS
• Having missed the first 10 games of the season due to a suspension handed down by the NCAA, Will Wade made his McNeese coaching debut against Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night and leading the Cowboys to a 67-48 victory.
• In his absence, assistant coaches Brandon Chambers and Vernon Hamilton split the head coaching duties and guided McNeese to an 8-2 mark that included road wins at VCU, Texas State and UAB, and a home D1 victory over UT Martin.
• The win over Southern Miss improved Wade's record to 10-0 in season openers and gave him his 197th win in his career.
 
WILL WADE, BOB MARLIN TO TAKE PART IN COACHES VS. CANCER PROGRAM
• Cowboys head coach Will Wade and ULL head coach Bob Marlin are partnering to take part in the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer program on Sunday.
• Each coach will donate $100 to the American Cancer Society for every 3-pointer each coach's team makes.
 
LEGACY CENTER BECOMING LEGENDARY HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• McNeese will enter Sunday's game against ULL with a 6-0 record at home.
• In those six games, a total of 240:00 minutes played, McNeese has trailed just 19 seconds, and that came on Wednesday night against Southern Miss when the Golden Eagles led 7-6.
• The Cowboys have led for a total of 235-minutes and 31-seconds and have been tied for 4-minutes and 10-seconds.
• In all six home wins, McNeese has posted double-digit victories.
• The Cowboys hold a +39.3 scoring advantage over their opponents, outscoring them 89.5 to 50.2.
• Only once has a visiting team scored more than 55 points and that was in a 91-80 win over UT Martin.
• McNeese has scored 80 or more five times.
• The Cowboys are making 52.2% of their shots at home while holding opponents to 31.9% shooting.
• McNeese is also forcing opponents into 19 turnovers per game in the Legacy Center.
 
SHUMATE JOINS ELITE CLUB
• Christian Shumate became just the 12th player in McNeese basketball history to join the 1,000 points/600 rebounds in a career club in the two games at the Louisiana Tech MTE.
• In addition, he pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds at UAB which ranks as the 6th-most boards in a game by a Cowboy in school history.
• He's currently 15th on the McNeese career rebounding list with 650 and is 15 away from moving into 14th all-time.
• Ranked 31st in scoring on the career school list with 1,050 points, 5 away from 30th.