Cowboys, Cowgirls rest for tourney

Published 4:45 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

Larry Johnson finished the regular season as the top freshman scorer in McNeese State history, breaking Joe Dumars’ mark set 44 years ago.

He was also named the Southland Conference’s Player of the Week for the second time.

The clear front-runner for Freshman of the Year, Johnson, will enter the postseason like his teammates, soaring. He has scored 20 points in three of his last four games, finishing with 25 Monday as the Cowboys won their eighth straight, defeating Nicholls.

“It feels good to do the things he (Dumars) did in 2026,” said Johnson. “I didn’t think it was possible. It just happened.”

Johnson has 532 points while Dumars finished his rookie season in 1982 with 527. 

While all the talk is about Johnson, all eyes are on another Cowboy, Javohn Garcia. Last year’s SLC Player of the Year has battled leg issues all season that forced him to sit out the final four games.

Garcia, who was the MVP of last season’s SLC Tournament as well, is working to get back on the court.

“He is working hard to get back,” said McNeese head coach Bill Armstrong. “I know how badly he wants to play. Things are moving in the right direction.”

If all goes well, Garcia will practice on Sunday and Monday to see where he is. McNeese opens the Southland Tournament, which it hosts, Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. as the No. 2 seed.

The McNeese women’s team opens as the top seed of their tournament the following morning.

The Cowboys, winners of 12 of their last 13, are entering the tourney as hot as any team in the field. 

“I think we are playing some of our best basketball now,” said Armstrong. “Now is when you want to be peaking.”

The same can be said for the Cowgirls, who at 27-4 will ride a 20-game winning streak into the tournament.

“We still have more to do,” said McNeese women’s head coach Ayla Guzzardo. “We are not done yet.”

The Cowgirls will enter the tournament having played their 10 best conferences over the last 2½ games. 

“We want to keep this going,” said Guzzardo. “I like where we are at and how we are playing.”

Both teams will use the next few days to rest before returning to preparing for the tournaments. The men hold a national ranking of 69, with Stephen F. Austin, the top seed, at No. 88.

The McNeese women are ranked No. 83.