McNeese Faces UTRGV in Southland Tournament Semifinal Tuesday

Lake Charles, Louisiana (KNGT-FM) - While the regular-season crown would have been nice, in smaller leagues like the Southland, the only thing that ultimately matters is winning the tournament.

Tuesday, McNeese will begin its journey toward its third consecutive Southland Conference Tournament Championship as they face UT Rio Grande Valley Tuesday Night in Lake Charles.

Tickets for Tuesday’s game are affordable for fans who want to be there in person. General admission seats cost just $10, and standing-room-only tickets are available for $5.

For McNeese, the goal is simple: win two games in two days inside your home arena, and the Bayou Bandits will once again be dancing in March Madness. Two days into the 2026 SLC Tournament, it has been chalk on both the men & womens side.

McNeese has won 12 of its last 13 games and 16 of its last 18. The Cowboys have played especially well at home, scoring more than 88 points per game while holding opponents to about 63 points. The team is also shooting over 50 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

To end the Regular Season, Freshman sensation Larry Johnson delivered another big performance when McNeese needed it most, scoring 25 points and breaking the freshman single-season scoring record previously held by Joe Dumars in the win over the Nicholls Colonels.

Johnson admitted he never thought breaking the record would ever be a possibility.. “Yeah, I ain’t gonna lie, I didn’t think it was a possibility,” Johnson said. “It’s just something that happened through hard work, going through practices, and stuff like that. It just happens through the flow of the season.”

Head coach Bill Armstrong called the achievement historic. “To ever be part of history is special,” Armstrong said. “For him to break a record held by a Top 75 player in NBA history — that’s super special.”

Johnson was named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and also finished second in the voting for Player of the Year. Teammate Tyshawn Archie earned First Team All-Conference honors after averaging 14.3 points per game. Another key player, Garwey Dual, was named to the conference All-Defensive Team.

McNeese To Face UT Rio Grande Valley in SLC Semifinals

Now, McNeese will turn its attention to the UT-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

UTRGV picked up a win on Monday inside the Townsley Law Arena with a xx-xx win over Nicholls. The Vaqueros dominated Nicholls outside of a small stretch of the game on Monday. Four guys scored in double figures: Washington, Cotton, McGheem, and Brankovic.

The two teams have split the two earlier matchups, with UTRGV winning in Edinburg and McNeese winning in Lake Charles.

The first Men’s Semifinal between #1 Stephen F Austin & #3 Texas A&M Corpus Christi will start at 6:00 and can be seen on National Television.

McNeese and UTRGV will face off in the semifinals on Tuesday, with tip-off slated for 8:30, and the game will air on ESPN+ with Kevin Fitzgerald and Mark Wise on the call.