Humbled Cowboys look to rebound
Published 1:44 pm Wednesday, December 31, 2025
While fans will try to forget McNeese State’s trip to Michigan on Monday, the Cowboys vow to remember it and learn.
The second-ranked Wolverines used the skills to outman the Cowboys 112-71 in Crisler Arena.
“That humbled everybody,” said McNeese senior Javohn Garcia. “We will learn from this. We know what we have to do to get better.”
The 41-point loss should be put in perspective. Michigan (12-0) beat Gonzaga, a national power itself, by 40 points earlier in the season. Gonzaga ranks second to the Wolverines in the NET national rankings; McNeese ranks 45th.
“That is a great basketball team,” said McNeese head coach Bill Armstrong. “They physically overwhelmed us.”
The Cowboys don’t just want to forget about that game, however. They have aspirations to play teams like Michigan in the near future as they pursue their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Those are the teams we want to go against,” said Garcia. “We see the players in that type of game we will be against. We have to be better all around, be mentally prepared.”
Two years earlier, the Cowboys went to Michigan and beat the Wolverines. There would be no surprising Michigan this time.
Now McNeese will turn its attention back to the Southland Conference, where it is the two-time defending regular-season and tournament champs.
“We know where we stand now,” said Armstrong. “We have to get back and fix some things, especially on defense. We have to continue to get better at everything.”
And the Cowboys have to do that fast. They play Lamar Friday night to open a four-game league homestand. The game is the first SLC contest ever on the CBS Sports Network.
“It is a great opportunity for us and our community,” said Armstrong. “We are excited to be back home.”
McNeese has not lost to a Southland team in Townsley Law Arena over the last three seasons. The Cowboys are 10-3 overall and 3-1 in league play.
“Right now, I would not say we are where we need to be, but we have all the tools on this team,” said Garcia. “We know we have a target on our backs. We have to come prepared for each game.
“The league has definitely gotten better. We have to take it one game at a time and be ready for everybody.”
Lamar is 7-6, 2-2 after rallying from a halftime deficit to beat East Texas A&M 69-62 Wednesday morning.
