2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball team

2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball
2024–25 McNeese Cowboys basketball
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	12–5 (6–0 Southland)
Head coach	Will Wade (2nd season);
Assistant coaches	Brandon Chambers; Vernon Hamilton; Shawn Forrest;
Home arena	The Legacy Center
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

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

2024–25 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
McNeese	6	–	0	1.000	12	–	5	.706
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	5	–	1	.833	12	–	6	.667
Nicholls	4	–	2	.667	10	–	7	.588
Lamar	4	–	2	.667	9	–	8	.529
Northwestern State	4	–	2	.667	7	–	9	.438
UT Rio Grande Valley	3	–	3	.500	11	–	6	.647
Southeastern Louisiana	3	–	3	.500	9	–	8	.529
Houston Christian	3	–	3	.500	6	–	11	.353
Incarnate Word	2	–	4	.333	9	–	8	.529
Stephen F. Austin	1	–	5	.167	8	–	9	.471
New Orleans	1	–	5	.167	3	–	14	.176
East Texas A&M*	0	–	6	.000	2	–	15	.118
* ineligible for the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition period

† 2025 Southland tournament winner As of January 13, 2025

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 Lamar^[2] and Nicholls to win the Southland tournament title, earning their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2002.^[3] In the NCAA tournament, they received the #12 seed in the Midwest Region,^[4] where they would fall to Gonzaga in the First Round.^[5]

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.^[6]^[7]

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.^[6]

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, Texas
PG	1	Omar Cooper	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	Sr	Clarendon College	Atlanta, Georgia
SG	2	DJ Richards Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	UTSA	Houston, Texas
PG	3	Mike Saunders Jr.	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	Sr	Utah	Indianapolis, Indiana
F	5	Joe Charles	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sr	Louisiana	Carencro, Louisiana
SG	6	Javohn Garcia	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	Sr	College of the Sequoias	Columbus, Ohio
G	7	Alyn Breed	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS Sr	Providence	Powder Springs, Georgia
F	8	Jerome Brewer Jr.	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Texas A&M–Commerce	Camden, New Jersey
F	9	Bryant Selebangue	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Arizona State	Montreal, Quebec
G	11	Quadir Copeland	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Syracuse	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
G	13	Howard Gaskins Jr.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Liberty Magnet High School	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G	14	Erik Villarreal	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Clear Lake High School	Houston, Texas
G	21	Sincere Parker	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Saint Louis	Rockford, Illinois
G	23	Brandon Murray	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Ole Miss	Germantown, Maryland
F	24	Christian Shumate	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	Sr	Tulsa	Chicago, Illinois
G	33	Lamont Evans	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Jr	Saint Louis	Hollywood, Florida

Head coach

Will Wade (Clemson)

Assistant coach(es)

Brandon Chambers (VCU)
Vernon Hamilton (Clemson)
Shawn Forrest (Arkansas–Pine Bluff)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 3, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 4, 2024* 5:00 pm, 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
Nov 7, 2024* 7:30 pm	Biblical Studies	W 111–57	1–1	21 – J. Garcia	8 – O. Cooper	13 – O. Cooper	The Legacy Center (3,036) Lake Charles, LA
Nov 11, 2024* 6:00 pm, 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
Nov 18, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at North Texas	W 68–61	2–2	18 – S. Parker	9 – J. Charles	8 – O. Cooper	UNT Coliseum (3,537) Denton, TX
Nov 22, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	vs. Illinois State Paradise Jam Quarterfinal	W 76–68	3–2	16 – J. Garcia	7 – Tied	5 – O. Cooper	Sports and Fitness Center (1,535) St. Thomas, USVI
Nov 24, 2024* 4:30 pm, 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
Nov 25, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	vs. Liberty Paradise Jam Final	L 58–62	4–3	13 – C. Shumate	7 – Q. Copeland	2 – Tied	Sports and Fitness Center (1,986) St. Thomas, USVI
Dec 3, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Santa Clara	L 67–74	4–4	17 – Tied	7 – C. Shumate	5 – O. Cooper	The Legacy Center (3,102) Lake Charles, LA
Dec 7, 2024* 3:00 pm, ESPN+	LeTourneau	W 103–69	5–4	22 – C. Shumate	9 – Q. Copeland	11 – Q. Copeland	The Legacy Center (2,765) Lake Charles, LA
Dec 14, 2024* 5:00 pm, ESPNU	vs. No. 25 Mississippi State Magnolia Madness	L 63–66	5–5	19 – J. Charles	9 – B. Murray	4 – Tied	Cadence Bank Arena (3,846) Tupelo, MS
Dec 22, 2024* 2:00 pm, 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
Dec 28, 2024 4:00 pm, 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
Dec 30, 2024 6:00 pm, 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
Jan 4, 2025 2:15 pm, ESPN+	at East Texas A&M	W 75–56	9–5 (3–0)	24 – J. Garcia	10 – Tied	6 – Q. Copeland	The Field House (812) Commerce, TX
Jan 6, 2025 6:30 pm, 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
Jan 11, 2025 4:00 pm, 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
Jan 13, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Houston Christian	W 75–59	12–5 (6–0)	16 – Tied	9 – B. Selebangue	7 – Q. Copeland	Sharp Gymnasium (857) Houston, TX
Jan 18, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Lamar Battle of the Border						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Jan 20, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Stephen F. Austin						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Jan 25, 2025 4:30 pm, ESPN+	at UT Rio Grande Valley						UTRGV Fieldhouse Edinburg, TX
Jan 27, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi						American Bank Center Corpus Christi, TX
Feb 1, 2025 3:00 pm, ESPN+	at Nicholls						Stopher Gymnasium Thibodaux, LA
Feb 3, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Incarnate Word						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Feb 8, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Northwestern State						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Feb 10, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	East Texas A&M						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Feb 15, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+	at New Orleans						Lakefront Arena New Orleans, LA
Feb 17, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Southeastern Louisiana						Pride Roofing University Center Hammond, LA
Feb 22, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Feb 24, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	UT Rio Grande Valley						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
Mar 1, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Lamar Battle of the Border						Neches Arena Beaumont, TX
Mar 3, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+	at Stephen F. Austin						William R. Johnson Coliseum Nacogdoches, TX
Southland tournament
March 9–13, 2024 TBA, ESPN+	vs. TBA						The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central.

Source^[8]^[9]

References

^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Southland Conference. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
^ "McNeese Men's Basketball Advances to Southland Conference Championship for First Time in 12 Years". KPLC. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
^ "Wells scores 27 and McNeese beats Nicholls 92-76 for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 years". AP News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2024 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
^ "Ike's perfect game leads hot-shooting Gonzaga to easy March Madness win over McNeese State". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Southland Conference Announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and All-Conference Team". Southland Conference. October 16, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ Anthony Goss (October 17, 2024). "Southland announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-Conference team". Crescent City Sports Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2024-25". ESPN Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

[1] "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Southland Conference. Retrieved December 3, 2024.

[2] "McNeese Men's Basketball Advances to Southland Conference Championship for First Time in 12 Years". KPLC. Retrieved December 3, 2024.

[3] "Wells scores 27 and McNeese beats Nicholls 92-76 for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 years". AP News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.

[4] "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2024 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.

[5] "Ike's perfect game leads hot-shooting Gonzaga to easy March Madness win over McNeese State". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2024.

[PrePolls-6] "Southland Conference Announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and All-Conference Team". Southland Conference. October 16, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[7] Anthony Goss (October 17, 2024). "Southland announces 2024 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-Conference team". Crescent City Sports Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[8] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

[9] "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2024-25". ESPN Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

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