Last spring, the Cowboys claimed their first championship in 22 years by beating Nicholls in the Legacy Center.

Saturday, the Colonels are back on the same court with title hopes of their own as they try to chase down McNeese State early in the Southland Conference race.

“They are going to come ready for us,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “They are a great team, a great program. They are going to play differently from what we have already seen.”

The Cowboys (10-5, 4-0) enter the contest flying high. They are riding a five-game win streak, winning 23 of their last 24 at home. They have also won four straight over Nicholls, including sweeping three games last year.

Since Wade came to town last season, McNeese has dominated the Southland, winning 23 of 24 games in that department as well.

“They are definitely the team to beat,” Nicholls head coach Tevon Saddler said. “Will has it going there.”

The former McNeese assistant has the attention of Wade after leading the Colonels to 22 wins in his first season at the helm last year and the conference title game.

“He (Saddler) has done a great job,” said Wade. “He has turned that program around and done a great job in the portal. They are going to be tough.”

Saddler is not the only one returning to familiar surroundings. Former Cowboy Trea English will return for the first time since leaving McNeese at the end of last season.

English, a redshirt junior point guard, has started five of the Colonels’ 15 games, averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game. He missed all of last season, recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the 2023 campaign.

English started 21 of 28 games as a sophomore for McNeese in 2022-23. He scored 10.8 points and had 3.6 assists. He scored a career-high 29 points against Tennessee-Martin.

“I’m pretty excited to be going back there to play,” said English, who is still close to some Cowboys. “It will be cool to see those guys on the other side of the floor.”

English will be ready for the McNeese fans as well. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing them,” English said. “I know how wild they can get when those guys get going. We have to be ready for that.”

Nicholls, 9-6, 3-1, is led by Byron Ireland, who is scoring at a 13.8 clip. The Colonels have championship hopes themselves. 

“Every game for us is big, but you don’t want to take a two-game skid in the standings early,” said Saddler. “We want to try and go 1-0 on Jan. 11. March will get here soon enough.”

Saddler was referring to the Southland Tournament that will be held again in the Legacy Center. 

“We want to get familiar with the surroundings,” Saddler said. “We want our season to be there with the confetti falling on us.”

He also knows both his team and the Cowboys are different from a year ago.

“Will (Wade) does a great job recruiting talent,” Saddler said. “I think they are more talented this year. We are more talented as well. I think we have more depth.” 

The Cowboys enter the game on a roll, coming off a season-best 16 made 3-pointers Monday night against Northwestern State. They are averaging 10 threes a game in the league and a conference-best 83 points, winning their games by a 23.3 margin. 

Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker have led the way on offense. Sincere leads the club in scoring overall at 15 a game, good for sixth in the conference.

Garcia is second in league play at 20 a game. Meanwhile, DJ Richards has hit 16 3-pointers in the four SLC contests, which tops that category. 

“It’s better,” Wade said of the Cowboy offense. “It still is not where we need to be.”

McNeese is expected to have swingman Brandon Murray back. Wade called Murray “pretty close” to full strength after he missed the last four games with a knee injury.

The Cowboys may need Murray’s presence against the Colonels.

“They are physical, tough and scrappy,” Wade said. “We are going to have to be physical. We will need to match and exceed their play.”