LAKE CHARLES – McNeese will begin its quest for the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday when it takes on Lamar in the semifinals of the 2024 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 at McNeese's Legacy Center. The game will air live on ESPNU and also on the McNeese Radio Network (Magic 92.1 and mymagiclc.com).
 
The top-seeded Cowboys (28-3) will be looking to complete the season trifecta over the No. 4 seeded Cardinals (19-13), who defeated New Orleans 71-57 in Monday's second round.
 
McNeese, who is ranked No. 1 in two mid-major top 25 polls, is 2-0 against Lamar on the season having defeated the Cardinals 88-69 in Lake Charles on January 15 then 58-56 on February 26 in Beaumont on an Antavion Collum three-pointer with 0.5 seconds to play.
 
This will be McNeese's 34^th appearance in the postseason tournament, a league record. The Cowboys have compiled an overall record of 27-22 throughout their appearances. This will also be the fourth time McNeese will enter as the No. 1 seed and is 6-2 in those games, including winning the 2002 title.
 
In the two games against Lamar this year, the Cowboys have outscored the Cardinals by 10.5 points.
 
Shahada Wells, the league's Player and Newcomer of the Year, averaged 21 points per game in those two contests. Javohn Garcia averaged 15 points, Christian Shumate, the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 12.5 points and 10 rebounds, and DJ Richards Jr. 10.5 points in the two outings.
 
McNEESE BEGINS PLAY IN SLC TOURNAMENT ON TUESDAY
• McNeese will start play in the 2024 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in a semifinal game against the winner out of New Orleans and Lamar.
• The 2024 SLC regular season champions, McNeese will be looking to capture its first tournament title in 22 years and third overall, and the third bid to the NCAA Tournament in school history.
• The Cowboys are 28-3 on the season, a school record for wins in a single season and the second-most regular season victories in Southland Conference history (29 by Stephen F. Austin in 2013-14.
• McNeese posted a 17-1 conference record, tying a school record for most league wins in a season (2000-01, 2001-02) which is also tied as the second-most in league history (SFA with 18 in 2013-14).
• McNeese will carry a 9-game winning streak into Tuesday's game, marking the second time this season the Cowboys have won nine or more games in-a-row, just the fourth team in the NCAA to achieve the feat.
 
RECORD-BREAKING SEASON CONTINUES
• The 2023-24 season for McNeese has been one for the ages and one that has seen many records broken and program firsts being accomplished.
 
Records in 2023-24
Category                          Value
Most Wins in Regular Season      28
Most Home Wins in Regular Season        17
Most Road Conference Wins      8 (ties record)
Best Turnaround from Prior Year +17 wins
Best Home Winning Percentage  1.000  (tied)
Best Overall Winning Percentage .903
Best SLC Winning Percentage      .944
Most Road Wins in Regular Season          11
Best Record to Start Season        19-2
Best SLC Record to Start Season  8-0
Most Non-Conference D1 Wins   7
Most Single-Game Scoring Leaders          8
Most Wins of 10+ Points    21
Highest NET Rating            29th (Dec. 4)
 
Program Firsts in 2023-24
• Receive Votes in AP Poll
• Receive Votes in USA Today Poll
• Rank in Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
• Rank #1 in Mid-Major Polls
• Defeat a Big Ten Opponent (Michigan)
• Appeared on ESPN Top 10 Plays of the Day 8 Times
• Two ESPN Top 10 #1 Plays of the Day
• Named National Team of the Week (Dick Vitale, Field of 68)
• Player named National Player of the Week (Shahada Wells, three times - Oscar Robertson, Lute Olson, Field of 68)
• Same player as Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year (Shahada Wells)
• Four league major award winners: Shahada Wells (Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year; Christian Shumate, Defensive Player of the Year; Will Wade, Coach of the Year) - also the first time ever done in league history
• Ended the regular season leading the nation in statistical categories - scoring margin (19.0 ppg) and field goal defense (38.2 percent).
 
WELLS NAMED SLC PLAYER AND NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
• McNeese starting guard Shahada Wells became the first Cowboy to be named both the Southland Conference's Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the game season.
• He's just the third player in league history to earn both awards in the same season, joining Karl Malone of Louisiana Tech (1983) and ULM's Ryan Stuart (1992).
• Wells is McNeese's 9th SLC Player of the Year, first since 2012, and 4th Newcomer of the Year, first since 1996.
 
McNeese SLC Players of the Year
2024     Shahada Wells
2012     Patrick Richard
2001     Demond Mallet
1997     Rosell Ellis
1990     Anthony Pullard
1987     Jerome Batiste
1985     Joe Dumars
1979     David Lawrence
1975     Henry Ray
 
McNeese SLC Newcomers of the Year
2024     Shahada Wells
1996     Pointer Williams
1984     Jerome Batiste
1982     Joe Dumars (as a freshman; no FOY selected)
 
Shahada Wells in 2023-24:
• One of only 2 players in the nation averaging over 17 points (17.2), 4.5 rebounds (4.6), 4.5 assists (4.7) and 2.5 steals (2.9) per game.
• 3-time National Player of the Week (Oscar Robertson, Lute Olson, and Field of 68).
• 2-time SLC and Louisiana Player of the Week.
• No. 1 in SLC and No. 2 in NCAA with 2.9 steals per game.
• 88 total steals ranking No. 1 in SLC and No. 3 in NCAA.
• No. 2 in SLC in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (4.9 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.5).
• 19 games with 5+ assists, ranking 2nd in the league.
• 26 double-digit scoring games on the season, 9 of those with 20 points or more and three with 30 or more points.
 
SHUMATE NAMED SLC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Junior forward Christian Shumate was selected as this year's Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, the second for McNeese since the award was established in 2013 (Sha'Markus Kennedy in 2020).
• Leads the Southland Conference and is ranked 28th in the NCAA in rebounds with 9.7 per game.
• Has 12 double-doubles on the season, leading the SLC and ranking 32nd in NCAA.
• Set a new school career record with his 33 double-doubles which also ranks fourth all-time in conference history.
• No. 1 in the SLC and 15th nationally with 3.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second in the league with 43 total blocked shots and 1.4 blocks per game.
• Leads the league with 14 double-digit rebound games and has scored 10 points or more 22 times with 20 or more points twice.
• Career-high 21 rebounds in a win at UAB earlier this season.
 
WADE GARNERS LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS
• First-year head coach Will Wade has taken this year's McNeese basketball team to heights it hasn't seen, and because of that, was named this year's SLC coach of the Year.
• Wade is just the fourth coach in school history to receive the award (Dave Simmins, 2011; Tic Price, 2002; Ron Everhart, 2001).
• Guided the Cowboys to the largest turnaround in school history and biggest this season in the NCAA, going from 11 wins last season to 28 wins this year.
• The 28 wins are tied as the most in the NCAA this year while the .944 SLC winning percentage is the 3rd-best in SLC history.
• The wins total is tied as the third-most in league history.
• The Cowboys' 17-1 conference record matches a school-record for most league wins in a season while McNeese's 16-0 home record set a new school mark for home wins.
• Heading into the conference tournament, McNeese is currently ranked No. 1 in the Field of 68 Cinderella and Small College Top 25 polls, No. 4 in the McKinney Mid-Major and ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider mid-major polls.
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT DOMINANCE
• McNeese has won 21 of its 28 games by 10 points or more this season, tied as the second-most in the NCAA.
• Auburn leads the nation with 22, double-digit wins while Gonzaga has won 20.
• McNeese is No. 1 in the NCAA in scoring margin with a 18.8 advantage, an 80.2-61.3 score, and No. 1 in FG percent defense (38.1).
• In conference games only, the Cowboys are outscoring their opponents by a 16.7 margin (79.7-63.0).
• Ten of the Cowboys' 17 league wins have been by 10 or more points and seven of those by 20 or more.
 
BEST TURNAROUND IN SCHOOL HISTORY
• From winning just 11 games in 2022-23 to winning 28 this season, the McNeese Cowboys have posted the best turnaround in school history with a +17 win total mark so far.
• That breaks the old mark of +16 by the 2000-01 team that won 22 games after winning just six the year before.
• The Cowboys' 28 wins is seven more than the last two seasons combined while the 17 league victories is one less than the last three seasons together (18).