LAKE CHARLES – The two-time defending McNeese Cowboys basketball team is ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, the organization announced this week.
 
Under first-year head coach Bill Armstrong, the Cowboys, who posted a 28-7 record last season including the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win (69-67 over No. 5-seed Clemson), returns four players from that squad including the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year in Javohn Garcia and conference three-point champion DJ Richards Jr.
 
In addition, McNeese added 11 newcomers, nine of those transfers with eight of those from Division I programs.
 
Gonzaga tops the poll followed by Saint Mary's, Liberty, Illinois State and Yale to round out the top five.
 
McNeese's Nov. 7 opponent, Santa Clara, is ranked 17^th in the poll. Murray State (Nov. 24), Middle Tennessee (Nov. 25), Lamar (Jan. 2 and 31), and UIW (Dec. 1, Feb. 7) are receiving votes.
 
The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: American East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-America, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast, Western Athletic.
 
The Cowboys will open their season on Monday when they host Champion Christian at 6:30 in the Townsley Law Arena.
 
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Preseason Poll
1. Gonzaga
2. Saint Mary's
3. Liberty
4. Illinois State
5. Yale
6. San Francisco
7. Akron
8. High Point
9. UC Irvine
10. Miami (OH)
11. Northern Iowa
12. UNCW
13. Charleston
14. Furman
15. UCSB
16. Towson
17. Santa Clara
18. Bradley
19. Kennesaw State
20. McNeese
21. Montana
22. Chattanooga
23. Kent State
24. Belmont
25. Navy
 
Others Receiving Votes: Drake, St. Thomas, Arkansas State, Milwaukee, Vermont, Portland State, Troy, Harvard, Norfolk State, Murray State, Omaha, Hawaii, Little Rock, Queens, New Mexico State, Quinnipiac, Seattle, Robert Morris, ETSU, Toledo, UC San Diego, Utah Valley, Siena, Radford, Bryant, Samford, California Baptist, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Lamar, Eastern Kentucky, Sacramento State, Bethune-Cookman, Ohio, UNC Asheville, James Madison, Southern Illinois, Cornell, Long Island, Middle Tennessee, Central Connecticut, Oakland, Youngstown, Boston University, UIW, Jacksonville State, FGCU.