The McNeese Cowboys did not have to wait with anticipation to see if their name was called on Selection Sunday for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Rather, the Cowboys were just waiting to find out their opponent, as they earned an automatic bid for winning the Southland Tournament Championship.
The seeding and opponent was revealed Sunday, as McNeese will be a number 12 seed and will face 5 seed Gonzaga. The game will be played on Thursday and will be a part of the Midwest region. The venue will be the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The top seed in the Midwest region is Purdue.
McNeese had a historic season under first year head coach Will Wade. They finished the season 30-3, winning the Southland regular season and tournament championships. The number 12 seed that the Cowboys earned is tied for the best in the modern era of the conference, matching Stephen F. Austin who was twice a 12 seed in 2014 and 2015.
McNeese is not the only Louisiana-based team that will be playing in the NCAA Tournament and Midwest region. The Grambling Tigers will be a 16 seed and will face fellow 16 seed Montana State in UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.