2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball team

2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball
SLC regular season & tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Record28–7 (19–1 Southland)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThe Legacy Center
2024–25 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
† 19 – 1   .950 28 – 7   .800
Lamar 14 – 6   .700 20 – 13   .606
Nicholls 13 – 7   .650 20 – 13   .606
Northwestern State 12 – 8   .600 16 – 16   .500
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 12 – 8   .600 20 – 14   .588
Southeastern Louisiana 12 – 8   .600 18 – 14   .563
Incarnate Word 9 – 11   .450 19 – 17   .528
Houston Christian 9 – 11   .450 12 – 20   .375
UT Rio Grande Valley 8 – 12   .400 16 – 15   .516
Stephen F. Austin 7 – 13   .350 14 – 17   .452
East Texas A&M* 3 – 17   .150 5 – 26   .161
New Orleans 2 – 18   .100 4 – 27   .129
† 2025 Southland tournament winner
* ineligible for the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition period

The 2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys, led by second-year head coach Will Wade, played their home games on-campus at The Legacy Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana as members of the Southland Conference.

Previous season

The Cowboys finished the 2023–24 season 30–4, 17–1 in Southland play, to finish as Southland regular-season champions.[1] They defeated Nicholls[2] and Nicholls[3] to win the Southland tournament title, earning their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2002.[4] In the NCAA tournament, they received the #12 seed in the Midwest Region,[5] where they fell to Gonzaga in the first round.[6]

Preseason polls

Southland Conference Poll

The Southland Conference released its preseason poll on October 16, 2024. Receiving 143 votes overall and 21 first-place votes, the Cowboys were picked to finish first in the conference.[7][8]

Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 McNeese 242 (21)
2 Stephen F. Austin 208
3 Nicholls 205 (3)
4 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 191
5 Lamar 143
6 Southeastern 121
7 Incarnate Word 117
8 UT Rio Grande Valley 112
9 Northwestern State 90
10 Texas A&M–Commerce 54
10 New Orleans 54
12 Houston Christian 48

Preseason All Conference

Christian Shumate, Quadir Copeland and Joe Charles were selected as first-team members of a preseason all-conference team. Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray were selected as second-team members.[7]

Roster

2024–25 McNeese Cowboys men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
PG 0 T'Johnn Brown 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 164 lb (74 kg) So Kimball High School Dallas, TX
PG 1 Omar Cooper 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Sr Clarendon College Atlanta, GA
SG 2 DJ Jr. Richards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr UTSA Houston, TX
PG 3 Mike Jr. Saunders 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Sr Utah Indianapolis, IN
F 5 Joe Charles 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Louisiana Carencro, LA
SG 6 Javohn Garcia 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Sr College of the Sequoias Columbus, OH
G 7 Alyn Breed  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Providence Powder Springs, GA
F 8 Jerome Jr. Brewer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Jr Texas A&M–Commerce Camden, NJ
F 9 Bryant Selebangue 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Arizona State Montreal, QC
G 11 Quadir Copeland 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Syracuse Philadelphia, PA
G 13 Howard Jr. Gaskins 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Liberty Magnet High School Baton Rouge, LA
G 14 Erik Villarreal 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Clear Lake High School Houston, TX
G 21 Sincere Parker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Saint Louis Rockford, IL
G 23 Brandon Murray 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Ole Miss Germantown, MD
F 24 Christian Shumate 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Sr Tulsa Chicago, IL
G 33 Lamont Evans 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Jr Saint Louis Hollywood, FL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 3, 2024

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
5:00 p.m., YouTube 		vs. South Dakota State
Field of 68 Showcase 		L 73–80  0–1
  18 – A. Breed   9 – C. Shumate   2 – J. Garcia  Sanford Pentagon (2,878)
Sioux Falls, SD
November 7, 2024*
7:30 p.m. 		Biblical Studies W 111–57  1–1
  21 – J. Garcia   8 – O. Cooper   13 – O. Cooper  The Legacy Center (3,036)
Lake Charles, LA
November 11, 2024*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		at No. 2 Alabama L 64–72  1–2
  19 – S. Parker   9 – J. Charles   2 – A. Breed  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
November 18, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at North Texas W 68–61  2–2
  18 – S. Parker   9 – J. Charles   8 – O. Cooper  UNT Coliseum (3,537)
Denton, TX
November 22, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Illinois State
Paradise Jam quarterfinal 		W 76–68  3–2
  16 – J. Garcia   7 – 2 tied   5 – O. Cooper  Sports and Fitness Center (1,535)
St. Thomas, USVI
November 24, 2024*
4:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Longwood
Paradise Jam semifinal 		W 84–69  4–2
  31 – S. Parker   6 – J. Charles   3 – B. Murray  Sports and Fitness Center (2,225)
St. Thomas, USVI
November 25, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Liberty
Paradise Jam final 		L 58–62  4–3
  13 – C. Shumate   7 – Q. Copeland   2 – 2 tied  Sports and Fitness Center (1,986)
St. Thomas, USVI
December 3, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Santa Clara L 67–74  4–4
  17 – 2 tied   7 – C. Shumate   5 – O. Cooper  The Legacy Center (3,102)
Lake Charles, LA
December 7, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		LeTourneau W 103–69  5–4
  22 – C. Shumate   9 – Q. Copeland   11 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (2,765)
Lake Charles, LA
December 14, 2024*
5:00 p.m., ESPNU 		vs. No. 25 Mississippi State
Magnolia Madness 		L 63–66  5–5
  19 – J. Charles   9 – B. Murray   4 – 2 tied  Cadence Bank Arena (3,846)
Tupelo, MS
December 22, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Louisiana W 64–56  6–5
  22 – S. Parker   9 – J. Charles   2 – B. Murray  Cajundome (2,407)
Lafayette, LA
Conference regular season
December 28, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		New Orleans W 86–61  7–5
(1–0) 		 21 – D. Richards Jr.   6 – C. Shumate   10 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (3,130)
Lake Charles, LA
December 30, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southeastern Louisiana W 79–51  8–5
(2–0) 		 26 – J. Garcia   12 – B. Selebangue   8 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (3,106)
Lake Charles, LA
January 4, 2025
2:15 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Texas A&M W 75–56  9–5
(3–0) 		 24 – J. Garcia   10 – 2 tied   6 – Q. Copeland  The Field House (812)
Commerce, TX
January 6, 2025
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northwestern State W 92–69  10–5
(4–0) 		 20 – D. Richards Jr.   6 – C. Shumate   11 – Q. Copeland  Prather Coliseum (387)
Natchitoches, LA
January 11, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Nicholls W 80–71  11–5
(5–0) 		 25 – J. Garcia   12 – J. Charles   3 – B. Selebangua  The Legacy Center (4,032)
Lake Charles, LA
January 13, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Houston Christian W 75–59  12–5
(6–0) 		 16 – 2 tied   9 – B. Selebangue   7 – Q. Copeland  Sharp Gymnasium (857)
Houston, TX
January 18, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lamar
Battle of the Border 		W 75–64  13–5
(7–0) 		 19 – D. Richards Jr.   6 – Q. Copeland   3 – D. Richards Jr.  The Legacy Center (4,082)
Lake Charles, LA
January 20, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Stephen F. Austin W 79–59  14–5
(8–0) 		 16 – C. Shumate   11 – C. Shumate   6 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (2,929)
Lake Charles, LA
January 25, 2025
4:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UT Rio Grande Valley W 93–63  15–5
(9–0) 		 21 – Q. Copeland   10 – C. Shumate   8 – Q. Copeland  UTRGV Fieldhouse (1,473)
Edinburg, TX
January 27, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 74–73  16–5
(10–0) 		 14 – J. Garcia   5 – 2 tied   4 – Q. Copeland  American Bank Center (2,032)
Corpus Christi, TX
February 1, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Nicholls L 63–71  16–6
(10–1) 		 16 – B. Murray   9 – J. Charles   3 – Q. Copeland  Stopher Gymnasium (877)
Thibodaux, LA
February 3, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Incarnate Word W 67–65  17–6
(11–1) 		 13 – J. Garcia   9 – C. Shumate   7 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (3,216)
Lake Charles, LA
February 8, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northwestern State W 65–50  18–6
(12–1) 		 22 – J. Garcia   7 – B. Selebangue   4 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (3,670)
Lake Charles, LA
February 10, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Texas A&M W 67–51  19–6
(13–1) 		 19 – C. Shumate   14 – C. Shumate   6 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (2,883)
Lake Charles, LA
February 15, 2025
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at New Orleans W 78–64  20–6
(14–1) 		 21 – D. Richards Jr.   10 – J. Charles   4 – Q. Copeland  Lakefront Arena (737)
New Orleans, LA
February 17, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Southeastern Louisiana W 88–82  21–6
(15–1) 		 18 – J. Garcia   10 – J. Charles   6 – Q. Copeland  Pride Roofing University Center (1,218)
Hammond, LA
February 22, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 73–57  22–6
(16–1) 		 16 – J. Charles   7 – C. Shumate   5 – B. Murray  The Legacy Center (4,032)
Lake Charles, LA
February 24, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UT Rio Grande Valley W 100–65  23–6
(17–1) 		 19 – 2 tied   12 – J. Charles   8 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (3,181)
Lake Charles, LA
March 1, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Lamar
Battle of the Border 		W 68–66  24–6
(18–1) 		 25 – S. Parker   7 – J. Garcia   6 – Q. Copeland  Neches Arena (5,746)
Beaumont, TX
March 3, 2025
6:30 p.m., ESPNU 		at Stephen F. Austin W 95–64  25–6
(19–1) 		 22 – S. Parker   9 – J. Charles   5 – Q. Copeland  William R. Johnson Coliseum (2,924)
Nacogdoches, TX
Southland tournament
March 11, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(1) (4) Northwestern State
Semifinals 		W 83–64  26–6
  24 – J. Garcia   9 – J. Charles   5 – 2 tied  The Legacy Center (3,782)
Lake Charles, LA
March 12, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(1) (2) Lamar
Championship 		W 63–54  27–6
  18 – Q. Copeland   7 – J. Charles   4 – Q. Copeland  The Legacy Center (4,106)
Lake Charles, LA
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2025*
2:15 p.m., TruTV 		(12 MW) vs. (5 MW) No. 12 Clemson
First Round 		W 69–67  28–6
  21 – B. Murray   11 – C. Shumate   5 – Q. Copeland  Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,441)
Providence, RI
March 22, 2025*
11:10 a.m., CBS 		(12 MW) vs. (4 MW) No. 22 Purdue
Second Round 		L 62–76  28–7
  17 – S. Parker   9 – C. Shumate   4 – 2 tied  Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,487)
Providence, RI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central.

Source:[9][10]

Conference awards and honors

Weekly awards

Weekly honors
Honors Player Position Date awarded Ref.
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Sincere Parker G November 25, 2024 [11]
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Javohn Garcia G January 6, 2025 [12]
SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Joe Charles F February 24, 2025 [13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Southland Conference. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Travis, Matthew (March 13, 2024). "McNeese Men's Basketball Advances to Southland Conference Championship for First Time in 12 Years". KPLC. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Colonels fall in SLC title game at No. 1 McNeese". Nicholls State University Athletics. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  4. ^ "Wells scores 27 and McNeese beats Nicholls 92-76 for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 years". AP News. March 14, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2024 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. March 12, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ike's perfect game leads hot-shooting Gonzaga to easy March Madness win over McNeese State". CBS Sports. AP. March 22, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Southland Conference Announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and All-Conference Team". Southland Conference. October 16, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Goss, Anthony (October 17, 2024). "Southland announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-Conference team". Crescent City Sports Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2024-25". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Goss, Anthony (November 25, 2024). "McNeese's Parker Named Jersey Mike's SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  12. ^ Goss, Anthony (January 6, 2025). "McNeese's Garcia Named Jersey Mike's SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  13. ^ Goss, Anthony (February 24, 2025). "McNeese's Charles Named Jersey Mike's SLC Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Retrieved March 9, 2025.
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