McNeese State’s basketball schedule continues to evolve.

The American Press has learned that McNeese has signed to play North Texas on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The Mean Green, out of the American Athletic Conference, is a huge upgrade to the Cowboys’ home slate.

It is part of a home-and-home series that begins this year in the Legacy Center. The Cowboys will return the game in the 2016-2017 season.

“This is a big get for us,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “We had been in talks with them about playing on a neutral site but this works out better.”

McNeese was looking to upgrade its schedule after playing four non-Division I home games last year.

“We wanted at least two nonconference home games against Division I opponents for our fans,” said Wade. “Getting a really good program from The American to come to play us is a really big deal.”

Originally, McNeese was set to play Champion Christian on that date while North Texas was scheduled to host Mississippi Valley State. Champion Christian was one of three non-Division I programs McNeese was scheduled to play at home this season. 

North Texas finished 19-15 overall last season and 10-8 in The American. The Green now join Santa Clara, a staple in the West Coast Conference, as teams willing to come to the Legacy Center to start a home-and-home series.

“I’m really excited to add North Texas to our Men’s basketball schedule,” said McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer. “To have a home schedule that has two perennial quad 2 opponents will be amazing for our fanbase and allow us to put our best foot forward in regards to overall NET rankings.”

McNeese assistant coach Brandon Chambers has tried all offseason to get teams to come to play in Lake Charles with little luck. Chambers has said he heard a lot of reasons for the troubles but clearly it has a lot to do with the Cowboys’ meteoric rise last season. 

In Wade’s first season, McNeese finished 30-4, winning all 18 games played in the Legacy Center. The Cowboys also earned their first Southland Conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002, losing to perennial power Gonzaga out of the West Coast Conference as well, in the first round.

This year the Cowboys seem to have even better talent and hope an improved schedule and better ranking could lead to a higher tourney seed come March. Maybe even a chance at an at-large berth if they were to fall in the SLC title game.

Either way, adding another mid-major to the home schedule is a big get for the program.

The game against North Texas is sandwiched between a neutral site contest with Mississippi State in Tupelo on Dec. 14 and a battle with rival Louisiana-Lafayette in the CajunDome on Dec. 22.

McNeese will open play on Nov. 4 against South Dakota State in Sioux Falls in the Field of 68 event. The Cowboys will have their home opener on Nov. 7 against the College of Biblical Studies, one of the two remaining non-DI teams on their schedule. 

After that, they head to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide, who made it all the way to the Final Four last season. 

The Cowboys are 0-1 all-time against UNT, falling to the Mean Green 85-47 on the road in 2017. They have never before played SDSU or Santa Clara. 

“It’s not ideal to still be working on your schedule on Oct. 1, but it is the way things are now,” said Wade. “We are excited about the new schedule.”