It’s McNeese against the field.

The Cowboys enter the postseason as the prohibitive favorites to claim their first back-to-back Southland Conference Tournament championship in program history.

After winning 19 of 20 league games and tying the record for most victories in a conference season, the 25-6 Cowboys are clearly the team to beat as they host the rest of the league starting Sunday night in the Legacy Center.

By winning the regular season title, their second straight, McNeese received one of two double-byes and will play as the No. 1 seed until Tuesday at 5 p.m.
“The championship runs through Lake Charles,” Nicholls head coach and former McNeese assistant Tevon Saddler. “McNeese is a great team; they will be tough to beat.”

Sadler should know; his Colonels are the only SLC team to beat the Cowboys this season. Nicholls won 71-63 at Thibodeaux in February when McNeese missed all 12 of its 3-point attempts.

“We proved we could beat them, but they are hard to beat in their building,” said Saddler.

The Cowboys have been undefeated in 20 games in the last two years in the Legacy Center against Southland teams. Overall, they are 28-1 under head coach Will Wade on Joe Dumars Court.

Nicholls is the third seed and won’t play until Monday night. The Colonels lost to McNeese in last year’s championship game, 92-76. However, the Colonels are not the only group that believes they can beat McNeese.

Second-seeded Lamar, which lost 68-66 last Saturday in a tough-fought battle in Beaumont, Texas, likes its chances. The Cardinals earned the second double-bye.

“They are a very good team, but we won’t back down from them,” said Lamar head coach Alvin Brooks. “We are capable of winning the tournament and we’re capable of beating McNeese. 

“Now we just have to go out and prove it.”

The Cardinals (19-12, 14-6) are considered by most to be McNeese’s toughest competition. They lost to the Cowboys in last year’s semifinals.

Despite his club’s recent dominance, Wade knows nothing is given this time of year.

“There are a lot of good teams in this year,” Wade said. “There is zero doubt a lot of teams can win this thing.”

With an NCAA bid on the line, the Cowboys know they have a target on their backs.

“Everybody is going to come in and try to knock us off,” said McNeese guard Javohn Garcia. “We have to be ready every game.”

A wild last day of the regular season saw Northwestern State jump up to the fourth seed thanks to the tiebreaker. The Demons, Southeastern, and Corpus Christi all finished the league at 12-8 and tied for fourth. 

However, Northwestern State got the bye, while Corpus became the fifth seed and Southeastern the sixth. The Islanders will begin play Sunday against No. 8 Houston Christian at 5 p.m. 

Southeastern, which entered the final day alone in fourth place before losing to Texas-Rio Grande Valley, will play the second game Sunday against No. 7 Incarnate Word. 

McNeese enters the tournament hot, winning nine straight and 20 of 21 overall. 

The Cowboys also know everybody is gunning for them.