Winners don’t talk about moral victories.

Yet not all losses are equal either.

Monday night, one week after struggling to find themselves in the season opener against South Dakota State, the Cowboys showed what quick learners they can be.

With that, McNeese State’s men’s basketball team settled more than a few nerves and reset the bar as high as it was two weeks ago.

The Cowboys, despite being down by 21 points in the second half, found themselves in a battle with the second-best team in the country on foreign soil. That’s the type of growth few expected so soon from a new group of players.

McNeese rallied to cut the lead to four with just under 4 minutes remaining only to lose by eight, 72-64, to Alabama, which was in the Final Four last spring.

The Crimson Tide have even higher expectations. Then again, so do the Cowboys, who are coming off a historic 30-4 campaign themselves.

So this game, a major upgrade in scheduling for the Cowboys, was perfect, especially for a team that can’t find others on their mid-major level to play.

“We are appreciative Alabama would play us,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “We had a hard time getting games.”

The Crimson Tide might not have been so happy they invited McNeese after a 14-1 Cowboys run in the second half.

But a victory wasn’t what the Cowboys and their fans expected going into Coleman Coliseum. What was important was showing what this season could be, not what it is right now.

Unlike last season’s McNeese squad, which was made up of players looking to make some noise, this group is here to make a statement. They are expected to take the next step for the program, to not only make the NCAA Tournament but win a game or two.

That’s why it was so important that this team prove it can compete on this level because this is the level this team believes it can be on come March. Maybe that’s the reason Monday night felt more like a game to learn from rather than shock the nation with.

“We are going to get better from this,” Wade said. “Hopefully this is something we can build on. Way more positives than negatives.”

That is good to know since there are far more landmines ahead than a year ago. That begins Monday when a solid mid-major program from North Texas comes to town.

Santa Clara will follow later in the season. There is also another game against a Southeastern Conference team, Mississippi State along with a three-game multi-team event in the U.S. Virgin Islands that will test McNeese.

five-game stretch coming up that will test us and tell us where we are,” Wade said. “That’s why playing a team as good as Alabama is great for us.”

Strangely, after the game, Wade didn’t talk like a head coach of a team, but rather a true member of the McNeese family. For him the games seemed to be bigger than basketball, showing his commitment to McNeese is more than just what takes place on Joe Dumars Court.

“It was a great experience for our kids, great exposure for our school and our program, I’m more pleased about that,” Wade said. “They are a phenomenal team and this is a tough, tough building to play in.”

The coach made it a point to talk about how hard his team played and how far it had come in a brief time. Wade also wanted to make sure this is the start and there is more work to be done.

He wants his players to know it is harder to play with expectations than without them.

Still, he was happy with what he saw and should be.

And he never once mentioned anything about a moral victory.

That might be the best thing of all.

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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com