LAKE CHARLES – The 2025-26 McNeese Southland Conference men's basketball schedule was released on Wednesday, one that features 22 total games with home-and-home matchups against all of the 11 opposing schools.
 
The two-time defending regular season and tournament champion Cowboys will open up league play the earliest they ever have when they visit UIW on December 1. That will be followed by the conference home opener on Dec. 5 against Northwestern State.
 
McNeese will host East Texas A&M on Dec. 12 then visit HCU on Dec. 15 to cap a four-game conference slate in the month of December.
 
Conference play will resume on January 3 against Lamar in a rematch of last year's tournament championship game and the first of four straight home games that will be followed with visits from Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 5), Southeastern (Jan. 10), and Nicholls (Jan. 12).
 
A road swing to south Texas will follow on Jan. 17 at UTRGV and Jan. 19 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as McNeese will play five of its next six games away from home. A home contest on Jan. 24 vs. New Orleans will precede three straight road games, beginning Jan. 26 at Southeastern, at Lamar (Jan. 31) and at Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 2). Back-to-back home games on Feb. 7 vs. UIW and Feb. 9 vs. HCU will be followed by back-to-back road trips to East Texas A&M (Feb. 14) and Northwestern State (Feb. 16).
 
The final four games of the regular season will have the Cowboys at home on Feb. 21 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Feb. 23 against UTRGV at home, at New Orleans on Feb. 28 and at Nicholls on March 2.
 
McNeese will once again host the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament March 8-11.
 
In the last two championship seasons, McNeese has compiled a 58-11 overall record which includes a 33-1 mark at home and 36-2 in league play.
 
McNeese is close to finalizing its non-conference schedule, one that features three games at the 2025 Cayman Islands Classic Nov. 23-25 where the Cowboys will play George Washington, Murray State and Middle Tennessee State.