LAKE CHARLES - Act II of head coach Bill Armstrong's McNeese Bayou Bandits will take the stage for the first time in 2026-27 in front of an expected sell-out crowd in Townsley Law Arena when the Cowboys host LSU in an exhibition game at 6:30.
 
The game will not be broadcast but live stats can be followed on McNeeseSports.com.
 
McNeese enters the new season with a host of new faces but with the same goal in mind for the three-time defending Southland Conference champions and NCAA Tournament participants - making it four-in-a-row. Only once before in Southland Conference history has a team won four straight SLC tournament titles (ULM, 1990-93).
 
With 10 new players, six of those from Power 4 conference schools, joining returners Larry Johnson, Carl Cherenfant, and Jerrell Colbert, McNeese is already high on the list of programs to once again have a successful season according to many national media outlets.
 
ESPN ranks the Cowboys as the 9th-best mid-major program entering the season and winning another conference title with a fourth-straight NCAA appearance.
 
McNeese received a vote in the final AP Top 25 poll for just the second time in school history and was one of 15 teams in Division I basketball to record 28 or more wins.
 
In his first year at the helm, Armstrong guided the Cowboys to a 28-6 overall record and a third straight Southland Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. He coached the Cowboys to the highest final NET ranking (No. 56) in the history of the Southland Conference and a record third-consecutive No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Cowboys' 26 regular season victories were the second-most in school history while the 28 overall wins ranked as the second-most as a Division I school and third-most overall in the history of the program. McNeese tied a school record with 19 conference wins which were also the second-most in league history.
 
Armstrong was named the league's and Louisiana's Coach of the Year and named the Tommy Joe Eagles Award winner as the LABC Major College Coach of the Year. In addition, he was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top first-year head coach.
 
Johnson enters the season rated a Preseason Top 30 Sophomore by College Basketball Report.
 
Last year's conference Freshman of the Year and Louisiana's Player and Freshman of the Year, Johnson broke Joe Dumars' freshman scoring record with 592 total points and leading the team with a 17.4 per game average. Johnson's total points scored were the 14th-most scored in a season in school history and most since the 2000-01 year.
 
Also a first-team All-Southland Conference selection, second-team NABC All-District honoree, and a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award as the nation's top freshman in Division I basketball, Johnson led the team with 30 double-digit scoring games, 12 of those going for 20 points or more.
 
Colbert played in all 34 games last season for the Cowboys, making 24 starts. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds and led the team with 43 blocked shots. He connected on 55 percent of his shots from the field. Starter in 20 straight games to end the season.
 
Cherenfant played in 33 games last season, making 15 starts. He averaged 4.1 points and connected on 48 percent of his shots.
 
Corey Chest (6-8, 220) played at Ole Miss last season, appearing in 34 games while making four starts. He finished second on the team in shooting with a 59.4 percent aim. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was ranked as high as No. 75 in the nation by 247Sports. He was the No. 2 player in Missouri in his class while as a junior at McMain HS in New Orleans, was the No. 1 player in Louisiana.
 
Dellquan Warren (6-2, 185) comes to McNeese from Mississippi State where he appeared in 45 games over the last two seasons, all coming off the bench. He collected 37 points, 50 assists, 29 rebound and 19 steals during his time at MSU. Warren was a four-star prospect out of Our Savior Lutheran HS in The Bronx and was ranked No. 81 in the nation in ESPN.com's Top 100.
 
Alier Maluk (6-11, 220) played 21 games making three starts as a sophomore at Florida State last season, pulling down 37 rebounds and scoring 33 points. His freshman season, Maluk played in 31 games and made two starts. He graduated early from high school in order to begin his college basketball career with the Seminoles in the 2024-25 season.
 
A teammate of Maluk at Florida State in the 2024-25 season, Christian Nitu (6-11, 220) was at Washington last season but did not appear in any game action. While at Florida State, Nitu appeared in 22 games and scored 42 points with 28 rebounds. In 2025, he played on the Romanian U20 National Team at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket Pre-Qualifier Tournament. Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Nitu was selected to play in the 2023 BioSteel All-Canadian All-Star game.
 
Elijah "Choppa" Moore (6-4, 180) is a transfer from Utah where he played in one game last season before stepping away for personal reasons. In 2024-25, Moore played at Syracuse where he appeared in 26 games, making 16 starts. He averaged 5.2 points per game and connected on 32 percent from three-point range. In high school, he was ranked 55th overall and ninth among shooting guards in the country by 247Sports. Rivals rated him the 67th-best player in the nation.
 
As a freshman at Vanderbilt last season, Jaylon Dean-Vines (6-4, 182) appeared in 10 games and scored nine points. In high school, Dean-Vines helped lead his team to the 2025 Texas 4A state championship while earning All-State honors and named the District MVP and was a three-star prospect.
 
A couple of freshmen are expected to make an impact as well and bring depth to the squad. MJ Madison (6-9, 215) is a forward from Atlanta who played at Prolific Prep in Florida. Madison had a three-star rating from 247Sports and rated as the 43rd-best forward in the nation. He was offered by Georgia, Penn State, and West Virginia among others.
 
Tyrease Hunter (6-2, 170) is a guard from Virginia and rated as a four-star combo guard by 247Sports. He was recruited by high-major teams such as Auburn, Illinois, Missouri, and Ole Miss.
 
Following Thursday's game, McNeese will play a closed scrimmage on the road on Oct. 18 before returning home for an open exhibition against Southern on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. The Cowboys will begin the regular season on Nov. 2 against UAB in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
 
Thursday's game against LSU will mark the return of former Cowboys' head coach Will Wade while being just the second time for the Tigers to play in Lake Charles (1986 at Burton Coliseum).