McNeese will host in-state foes New Orleans and Southeastern on December 28 and 30 to open defense of its 2024 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Championship.
The SLC announced the 2024-25 league slate on Friday, with conference competition increasing from 18 games to 20 – 10 home and 10 away, with the addition of Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV.
McNeese finished 2023-2024 30-4 last season and 17-1 in league play with its only loss in league play being a three-point setback at Southeastern to start the month of February.
A home game to mark on the calendar will be January 20 when McNeese hosts Stephen F. Austin inside the Legacy Center, who returns to the league after spending the last three seasons as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. Two days prior the Cowboys will host Lamar in Lake Charles.
Other home conference games include Nicholls (Jan. 11), Incarnate Word (Feb. 3), Northwestern State (Feb. 8), A&M-Commerce (Feb. 10), A&M-Corpus Christi (Feb. 22), and newcomer UTRGV (Feb. 24).
Will Wade’s squad dominated the league last season, outscoring opponents by an 80-63 score. The Cowboys went 9-0 in home league games, outscoring opponents 84-64. McNeese went 18-0 overall in the Legacy Center.
The 2025 Southland Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments will return to Lake Charles and the Legacy Center in March.
The full 2024-25 schedule will be released in the coming weeks.