McNeese (14-3, 7-1 SLC) at UTRGV (6-11, 2-6 SLC)
January 17, 2026 • UTRGV Fieldhouse • Edinburg, Texas
 
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: (LINK)
 
EDINBURG, TEXAS – McNeese will ride a seven-game Southland Conference winning streak into Saturday afternoon's game against UTRGV, starting a road stretch that will see the Cowboys play five of their next six away from Townsley Law Arena.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and the game will broadcast on ESPN+. It will follow a 2 p.m. contest between the two women's teams.
 
McNeese is 14-3 on the season and is 7-1 in league play, tied with Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls, both of whom McNeese has already beaten. The Cowboys handed Nicholls its first Southland loss of the season in the last game out, pummeling the Colonels by a 94-68 score. UTRGV is 6-11 and 2-6 and is coming off a one-point heartbreaking loss at Northwestern State. The Cowboys will visit A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday afternoon to cap the weekend slate.
 
ARMSTRONG NOMINATED FOR JOE B. HALL AWARD AS NATION'S TOP FIRST-YEAR COACH
McNeese first year head coach Bill Armstrong has the Cowboys on path for their third straight Southland Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and because of that, he's been nominated for the 2025-26 Joe B. Hall Award which is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball.

With a 14-3 overall record and 7-1 mark in Southland Conference play, Armstrong's Cowboys haven't skipped a beat from the previous two seasons that saw McNeese compile a record of 58-11 including a mark of 36-2 in conference play under Will Wade, a close friend of Armstrong's who he coached under for five years at LSU.

In fact, the Cowboys' 14-3 record this year is two wins better than what McNeese's mark was through 17 games last season, all while possessing the nation's 12^th-toughest non-conference schedule.

Armstrong is a brilliant tactician when it comes to defense where he has the Cowboys ranked No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin (7.5), fourth in turnovers forced per game (17.5), and fifth in steals per game (10.5).
 
GARCIA REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS FOR 2ND TIME; RICHARDS, JR. CLOSING IN
• McNeese senior guard Javohn Garcia scored his 1,000th point as McNeese Cowboy when he netted 12 against Nicholls on Monday night.
• It's the second time in his career to score 1,000 career points - last season, Garcia, who played two seasons at UMass before joining McNeese for the 2023-24 season, scored his overall 1,000th point.
• He's the first player in school history to score 1,000 in a career twice.
• DJ Richards Jr. is closing in on the same milestone.
• Richards Jr., who played his freshman season at UTSA, scored his 1,000th overall career points last year and is 113 points away from scoring his 1,000th as a McNeese Cowboy.
 
GAMEDAY NOTES
• Five of the next six games will be played away from home. Following a home game on Jan. 24 vs. New Orleans, McNeese will visit Southeastern (Jan. 26), Lamar (Jan. 31), and Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 2)
• McNeese has won four straight games overall and seven consecutive conference games since dropping the season opener by four points at UIW.
• The Cowboys have at least 7 league wins through the first 8 games for the third straight season.
• McNeese is 5-2 away from home on the year and 1-1 in road conference games.
• UTRGV (6-11, 2-6) dropped a one-point heartbreaker at Northwestern State this past Monday.
• The Vaqueros are 4-4 at home on the season, including 1-2 in home conference games.
• McNeese is 42-10 over the last two seasons and 72-14 over the last three, ranking as one of the best records in the NCAA during those spans.
 
 SERIES vs. UTRGV
• Saturday's game will mark the 10th meeting in the series with McNeese leading 8-1.
• McNeese swept the season series last year, the first for UTRGV as a member in the Southland Conference, winning 100-65 in Lake Charles and 93-63 in Edinburg.
• UTRGV is formerly UT Pan American.
 
TALKING POINTS
• The Cowboys are ranked No. 48 in the latest NCAA NET rankings and No. 68 in the KenPom.
• In the mid-major polls, McNeese is No. 2 in the T3 Bracketology One-Bid League Top 32, No. 3 in the Field of 68 Mid-Major Top 25, No. 12 in the Mid-Major Power 25, No. 14 in Mid-Major Madness, and No. 18 in CollegeInsider.com.
• The Cowboys finished its non-conference slate with a 7-2 record, including a 5-2 mark against Division I opponents.
• McNeese has won at least 13 games through the first 16 for the second time in the last three years.
• The Cowboys have had 8 different players make at least 8 starts.
• All 10 regulars have scored double-digits at least once this season while eight players have scored 10 or more multiple times.
• The Cowboys lead the SLC and are second nationally in turnover margin (7.5), No. 1 SLC and fifth nationally in turnovers forced (17.4), No. 1 SLC and sixth nationally in steals per game (10.6).
• McNeese leads the nation in turnover margin (7.5), 3rd in NCAA in bench points scored per game (40.6), 4th in NCAA in turnovers forced per game (17.5), 5th in NCAA in steals per game (10.5), and 9th in NCAA in fastbreak points (18.4).
• The Cowboys are No. 1 in the Southland Conference in 13 categories, along with those named above, also ranked No. 1 in assist/turnover ratio (1.54), effective FG percent (.546), FG percentage (.488), FG defense (.401), FT percent (.769), scoring offense (84.8), scoring margin (68.4), and winning percentage (.824).
• 11 of the Cowboys' 14 wins have been by 10 points or more.
• McNeese is ranked fourth among all mid-major teams with 11 wins of 10 or more points.
• McNeese's non-conference schedule is ranked as the 12th toughest in the nation.
 
WINNING CULTURE
• Since the start of the 2023-24 season, McNeese has compiled a 72-14 overall record, including a 43-3 Southland Conference record over the last three seasons.
• McNeese has won 22 straight home games dating back to last season with the last loss coming against Santa Clara last December.
• 59-1 record when leading at the half over the last three years, 10-0 this season.
• McNeese is 42-10 over the last two seasons ranking as one of the best records in the NCAA during that span.
 
JOHNSON CLIMBING FRESHMAN SCORING LIST
• Freshman Larry Johnson has scored 280 points this season, ranking 14th on the school's single-season freshman scoring list.
• He needs 60 points to move into the top 10.
• Johnson's 16.5 scoring average ranks as the 4th-highest in school history among freshmen, following Henry Ray (19.7), Joe Dumars (18.2), and Edmond Lawrence (16.6).
 
McNeese Freshmen All-Time Season Scoring
(Total Points)
1.   Joe Dumars (1981-82)                          527
2.   Henry Ray (1971-72)                            492
3.   Edmond Lawrence (1972-73)             433
4.   Christian Shumate (2021-22)             404
5.   Dick Miller (1949-50)                           399
6.   Stan Kernan (1956-57)                        373
7.   Tierre Brown (1997-98)                       364
8.   Roy Moore (1951-52)                           344
9.   David Lawrence (1976-77)                  342
10. Jeff Sudds (1970-71)                            340
11. Kenny Jimmerson (1982-83)             309
12. Jerome Batiste (1983-84)                   290
13. Jason Coleman (1999-2000)              281
14. Larry Johnson (2025-26)                280
 
McNeese Freshmen All-Time Season Scoring Average
(Scoring Average)
1.   Henry Ray (1971-72)                            19.7
2.   Joe Dumars (1981-82)                          18.2
3.   Edmond Lawrence (1972-73)             16.6
4. Larry Johnson (2025-26)                 16.5
5.   Roy Moore (1951-52)                           15.6
6.   Stan Kernan (1956-57)                        15.5
7.   Dick Miller (1949-50)                           15.3
 
5 COWBOYS RANKED TOP 15 PLAYERS IN SLC BY EVAN MIYA ANALYTICS
• According to Evan Miya's analytics, McNeese possesses five of the top 15 players in the Southland Conference, including the top three.
• Larry Johnson is ranked No. 1 with a 5.60 BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating) while Garwey Dual is 2nd at 5.34 and Javohn Garcia 3rd with a 5.08 rating.
• Johnson's rating also ranks him No. 99 among all Division I players.
• Tyshawn Archie is ranked 6th with a 3.99 rating while DJ Richards Jr. is 10th with a 2.62 score.
 
SUCCESS WHEN SCORING 80+
• McNeese is 36-0 since the start of the 2023-24 season when scoring 80 points or more, 8-0 this season.
• The Cowboys have scored 90 or more six times this year and 100 or more three times.
 
TAKEAWAY TRAIN
• McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in turnover margin with a +7.5 mark.
• The Cowboys have forced 20 or more turnovers six times on the year and 10 or more in all 17 games.
• McNeese has forced more turnovers than committed in every game.