LAKE CHARLES – McNeese can clinch the outright Southland Conference regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament on Saturday with a win over Nicholls in what is expected to be the sixth sellout on the season.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+. McNeese basketball alumni will be in attendance and recognized at halftime of the game.
 
McNeese (25-3, 14-1 SLC) has won six straight games and 20 of its last 21 outings, ranking tied with 17^th-ranked Saint Mary's as the best streak in the NCAA in that span. The Cowboys are 14-0 at home on the season needing one more win to match a school record for home wins.
 
The Cowboys are coming off a thrilling 58-56 win at Lamar when Antavion Collum knocked down a three-pointer with 3.8 seconds to play to lift the Cowboys to the seasons sweep over the Cardinals.
 
Shahada Wells added 23 points to lead all scorers and Javohn Garcia scored 13.
 
Wells continues to lead the Cowboys and rank No. 2 in the conference in scoring with a 17.1 average. In addition, he's No. 1 in the league and second in the NCAA with 2.9 steals per game, second in the league with 166 field goals made, total points (266), and field goal percentage (48.0).
 
Christian Shumate leads the conference in rebounds per game (9.5), offensive rebounds per game (3.5), total rebounds (266) and double-doubles (10). With a 12.1 scoring average, he and Wells are two of four Cowboys averaging double-figures in scoring on the season – DJ Richards Jr. (10.9) and Garcia (10.6).
 
Nicholls is 16-12 overall and 11-4 in conference play and is in a tie for second with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Colonels have won three straight and is coming off at 92-82 win against UIW where it knocked down 18 three-point shots in its final home game of the season.
 
The Colonels are led in scoring by Diante Smith's 14.9 average followed by Jamal West Jr. (14.2), Rob Brown III (13.5), and Byron Ireland (12.0). Nicholls is the only team in the league with four players ranked in the top 20 in scoring.
 
McNeese defeated Nicholls 74-47 just 14 days ago in Thibodaux and lead the all-time series by a 55-48 margin. The Cowboys have won the last two meetings after dropping seven straight prior.
 
Notebook:
• McNeese is one of 16 teams in the nation with an unbeaten home record.
• With 25 wins, the Cowboy are one of just nine teams in the nation with 25 or more wins (James Madison 27-3; No. 1 Houston 25-3; No. 2 Purdue 25-3; No. 3 UConn 25-3; Grand Canyon 25-4; Indiana State 25-5; Samford 25-5; Appalachian State 25-5).
• McNees is No. 2 in the nation in winning percentage at 89.3%).
• The Cowboys are No. 2 in the country with 18 double-digit wins.
• No. 1 in the nation in scoring margin (18.8).
• No. 3 in NCAA in turnover margin (6.8) and FG percent defense (38.2%).
• No. 4 in NCAA in scoring defense (61.0).
• No. 5 in NCAA with 10.6 steals per game.
• No. 10 in NCAA with 16.6 turnovers forced per game.
• Nicholls is coached by Tevon Saddler who was an assistant coach for the Cowboys for the 2021-22 season.