LAKE CHARLES – McNeese returns to the Townsley Law Arena on Saturday when the Cowboys host New Orleans in Southland Conference action.
 
Tip-off has been moved up to 2:30, following a noon women's game, for the safety of the fans, teams, and game day staff with winter weather expected later Saturday evening and into the night.
 
McNEESE RETURNS HOME FOR SATURDAY CLASH AGAINST NEW ORLEANS
• McNeese will return to the Townsley Law Arena for the final time until February when it hosts New Orleans.
• Following Saturday's game, McNeese will play its next three away from home with a visit to Southeastern on Monday, Lamar (Jan. 31), and Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 2).
• The Cowboys, 15-4 overall and 8-2 in league play, are coming off an impressive 69-53 win at A&M-Corpus Christi, the largest margin of victory in the series, and it handed the Islanders their worst home loss since losing 82-49 to Louisiana Tech in the 2019-20 season opener.
• New Orleans is 7-12 overall and 5-5 in league play.
• The Privateers defeated Lamar, 89-76, last Saturday in their last game and have won two of their last three.
• McNeese has won six straight in the series.
• The Cowboys have won 22 consecutive games at the Townsley Law Arena, ranking as the 4th-longest current streak in the NCAA and the 4th-longest in the history of the Southland Conference (Lamar with 80 from 1978-84; Louisiana Tech with 38 from 1982-86; SFA with 31 from 2014-16).
• 25-straight regular season Southland Conference home victories, ranking as the 3rd-longest in league history (Lamar with 40 from 1978-85; SFA with 39 from 2012-17).
• McNeese is 43-11 over the last two seasons and 73-15 over the last three, ranking as one of the best records in the NCAA during those spans.
 
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.
• The Cowboys are currently 15-4 overall, the second-best start in school history since becoming a Division I program.
• Finalists will be announced in late February-early March.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
• McNeese has won 22 straight games in Townsley Law Arena, the 4th-longest current streak in the NCAA.
• Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, McNeese has compiled a record of 42-1 inside the Townsley Law Arena the last 43 games with the lone loss coming against Santa Clara last season.
• McNeese has won 29 straight games against conference competition (25 regular season and 4 tournament games).
• The Cowboys have won 25 straight regular season conference games in Townsley Law Arena dating back to the 2022-23 season with the last loss coming on Feb. 18, 2023 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi... it's the 3rd-longest streak in the history of the conference.
 
TALKING POINTS
• The Cowboys are ranked No. 57 in the latest NCAA NET rankings and No. 64 in the KenPom.
• In the mid-major polls, McNeese is No. 6 in the T3 Bracketology One-Bid League Top 32, No. 8 in the Field of 68 Mid-Major Top 25, No. 19 in the Mid-Major Power 25, No. 19 in Mid-Major Madness, and No. 19 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 15 games through the first 19 for just the second time since becoming a Division I school with both times coming in the last three seasons.
• 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 (7.1), No. 1 SLC and 4th nationally in turnovers forced (17.0), No. 1 SLC and 6th nationally in steals per game (10.3).
• McNeese is also 3rd in NCAA in bench points scored per game (38.7) and 13th in the NCAA in fastbreak points (17.2).
• The Cowboys are No. 1 in the Southland Conference in 10 categories.
• 12 of the Cowboys' 15 wins have been by 10 points or more.
• McNeese is ranked fourth among all mid-major teams with 12 wins of 10 or more points.
• McNeese's non-conference schedule is ranked as the 12th toughest in the nation.
 
SERIES vs. UNO
• Saturday's game will be the 36th meeting all-time with UNO holding a 20-15 lead in the series.
• McNeese has won six straight over the Privateers including the last three games at home.
• The Cowboys have won 7 of the last 10 played.
 
WINNING CULTURE
• Since the start of the 2023-24 season, McNeese has compiled a 73-15 overall record, including a 44-4 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.
• 60-1 record when leading at the half over the last three years, 11-0 this season.
• McNeese is 43-11 over the last two seasons ranking as one of the best records in the NCAA during that span.
 
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. 2 in the NCAA in turnover margin with a +7.1 mark.
• The Cowboys have forced 20 or more turnovers six times on the year and 10 or more in all 19 games.
• McNeese has forced more turnovers than committed in every game.
 
JOHNSON CLIMBING FRESHMAN SCORING LIST
• Freshman Larry Johnson has scored 314 points this season, ranking 11th on the school's single-season freshman scoring list.
• He needs 26 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).
 
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 5.57 BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating) while Garwey Dual is 2nd at 5.32 and Javohn Garcia 3rd with a 5.22 rating.
• Tyshawn Archie is ranked 5th with a 4.46 rating while DJ Richards Jr. is 15th with a 2.18 score.