SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – 3…2…1…
 
That's more than just a countdown. That's the combination to the push-button lock on the door to success.
 
When McNeese head coach Will Wade was named the Cowboys' leader last March, he had the combination to the lock on the team's locker room door to reflect 321.
 
Why? Because 321 signifies March 21, which is the first day of the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Wade set that as he envisioned McNeese's success and trek to its first postseason in 22 years.
 
As fate would have it, McNeese will be making a return to the Big Dance for the first time since 2002 and will play Gonzaga on March 21… 3/21.
 
McNeese cruised through Southland Conference play, posting a 17-1 record and winning the regular season title by three full games. The Cowboys then disposed of their two opponents in the league tournament, winning by an average of 17 points, to capture the tournament title and NCAA automatic berth.
 
The Cowboys, the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region, are 30-3 on the season and one of just four teams in the NCAA with at least 30 wins. The team with athletic and school administration as well as several supporters, touched down in Salt Lake City on Tuesday afternoon, 3 ½ hours after the squad received a nice send-off from Poke Nation at the Legacy Center.
 
McNeese practiced on its home court earlier that morning, a place where it posted a perfect 18-0 record this year and sold out the arena 10 times.
 
The Cowboys will have the eyes of the national media focused on them in person on Wednesday afternoon with an open practice at the Delta Center, the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz. They'll follow up with more preparation as the day goes on as they get ready for Thursday's 6:25 CT tip-off against Gonzaga on TBS.
 
The winner will play on Saturday against either Kansas or Samford with the rights to advance to the Sweet 16 in Detroit next week.
 
It's blast-off time for the Cowboys on the national stage.