PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Having slayed one giant, another bigger beast now stands in the way of the Cowboys’ dream run.

Tiny McNeese State will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in just over a half-century of Division I basketball history here Saturday inside Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Awaiting is fourth-seeded Purdue, just one year removed from making the national championship game. An entire country will see the 28-6, 12th-seeded Cowboys in their quest for a spot in the Sweet 16.

The Midwest Regional battle will start its second round on CBS at 11:10 a.m. Lake Charles time. It will be the only game in that viewing window, so all of college basketball will be watching the Cowboys.

“This is just something you dream about growing up,” said McNeese guard Quadir Copeland. “You work for this chance to do something special in March Madness.”

The Cowboys did just that when they upset Clemson Thursday to win their first NCAA game in four tries.

“This means so much to so many people,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “Let’s do it again.”

Purdue (23-11) will have something to say about that. The Boilermakers advanced to the Round of 32 by beating High Point 75-63 behind 21 points from junior Trey Kaufman-Renn and 20 from All-American guard Braden Smith.

Don’t think for a minute that the Cowboys are in awe of the moment or opponent.

“We put our shoes on; we put our jerseys on the same way as them,” said Copeland. “People underestimate the Southland Conference.”

The Cowboys have won the SLC championship in the last two seasons, but now they feel more prepared for this moment.

“We have a lot of experienced guys this year,” said McNeese forward Christian Shumate. “We are more prepared.”

Brandon Murray, who led McNeese with 21 points in the win over Clemson, knows all about playing against power conference teams. He has played at LSU, Georgetown, and Ole Miss, so he is used to high-level competition.

“It’s just another opponent to us,” said Murray. “We can’t worry about them. We have to take care of us.”

The Cowboys have Purdue’s attention after leading Clemson by 24 at one point in Thursday’s second half.

“It doesn’t really matter what their seed is; they are a great team,” said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. “They have great players. They have a great coach. They play hard.”

If the Cowboys are to pull off a second-straight upset, they must improve their shooting, especially their big three shooters.

Joe Charles, DJ Richards, and SLC Player of the Year Javohn Garcia combine for just five points, 26 below their season average. They were just 1 of 15 from the floor and 0-for-8 on 3-point tries.

“We are going to need our shooters to make shots,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “We are not going to win if they shoot 1-for-15.”

The Cowboys enter the game having won 23 of their last 24, while Purdue is just 5-4 over their last nine.

“Purdue is a different breed of cattle from what we have been playing,” said Wade. “If you throw the fastball the entire game, they are going to hit some grand slams. We will have to throw some change-ups or curve balls.”

The Cowboys just want to keep the Boilermakers off balance enough so they can slay their second giant and keep dancing.