Cowboys to face RGV
Published 9:36 pm Monday, March 9, 2026
Teams split pair of games during season
When the Cowboys take the court to defend their back-to-back Southland Conference championships, it will be 1,099 days since they last lost to a league foe on their home floor.
On March 7, 2023, Corpus Christi ended a surprising McNeese State run to the semifinals. The 80-63 loss to the top-seeded Islanders started a chain reaction that has led the Cowboys to two straight NCAA Tournaments and an 84-16 record.
They are 47-1 on Joe Dumars Court since, including 34 straight wins against SLC opponents. The numbers are staggering.
But when they begin play Tuesday night in this year’s championships, the Cowboys won’t be the overwhelming favorites or the top seed. And the only number that matters is two.
McNeese is two victories away from a three-peat and another trip to an NCAA regional. They will play No. 3 Rio Grande Valley at 8:30 p.m. inside Townsley Law Arena.
RGV advanced by beating Nicholls Monday night in the late game. McNeese split with RGV (19-13), with each team winning on its home floor.
“We want to go out winning three straight,” said senior guard DJ Richards. “This is what we have been waiting for all year.”
It appears they will also have last year’s tournament MVP, Javohn Garcia, back when they begin their title defense.
Garcia missed the last four games with a knee injury, but has practiced since the end of the regular season and says he is ready to go.
“I’m going to be cautious, but knowing how important this is, I’m going to go,” Garcia said. “It is one of the reasons I came back here. It would mean everything to me to win three in a row.”
McNeese (26-5) is the hottest team entering the postseason, having won eight in a row and 12 of its last 13. The Cowboys seem to have found their stride at the right time.
“Our confidence is high right now,” said Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson. “We have been playing well, but we have another gear. We can play at another level.”
McNeese will likely have to do that given the improved conference. However, they still have to lose on their home court despite Stephen F. Austin being considered the favorite by most experts.
“We are the team to beat, but we have an underdog mentality,” said Johsnon. “We are really looking forward to playing on our home court in front of our fans.”
Johnson leads the Cowboys in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (5.3). Johnson has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games.
First-team All-SLC guard Tyshawn Arcie is also capable of big games with a 14.3 average. Garcia’s return would give the Cowboys a third scorer in double figures at 11.3.
What McNeese really could use is for Richards to have a big couple of shooting games. That could open up the Cowboy offense.
If that happens, defending their home turf becomes much easier.
