2025–26 McNeese Cowboys basketball team

2025–26 McNeese Cowboys basketball
Southland tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Record28–6 (19–3 Southland)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Robi Coker
  • LeBrent Walker
  • Jeffery Armstrong
Home arenaTownsley Law Arena
2025–26 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Stephen F. Austin 20 – 2   .909 28 – 6   .824
McNeese † 19 – 3   .864 28 – 6   .824
UT Rio Grande Valley 14 – 8   .636 19 – 14   .576
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 13 – 9   .591 18 – 15   .545
New Orleans 12 – 10   .545 15 – 18   .455
Nicholls 12 – 10   .545 14 – 19   .424
Northwestern State 8 – 14   .364 10 – 22   .313
Houston Christian 8 – 14   .364 12 – 20   .375
Incarnate Word 7 – 15   .318 12 – 19   .387
Lamar 7 – 15   .318 12 – 19   .387
East Texas A&M 6 – 16   .273 11 – 21   .344
Southeastern Louisiana 6 – 16   .273 9 – 22   .290
† 2026 Southland tournament winner

The 2025–26 McNeese Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys, led by first-year head coach Bill Armstrong, played their home games on-campus at Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, Louisiana as members of the Southland Conference.

Previous season

The Cowboys finished the 2024–25 season 28–7, 19–1 in Southland play, to finish as Southland regular-season champions.[1] They defeated Northwestern State[2] and Lamar to win the Southland tournament title, earning their second-consecutive bid to the NCAA tournament.[3] In the NCAA tournament, they received the #12 seed in the Midwest Region once again,[4] where they defeated Clemson in the first round, giving them their first NCAA tournament win in program history.[5] They advanced to the second round in the tournament, where they lost to Purdue.[6]

Roster

2025–26 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) Jr Kimball High School Dallas, TX
SG 1 Javohn Garcia 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Sr College of the Sequoias Columbus, OH
SG 2 DJ Richards Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr UTSA Houston, TX
G 3 Garwey Dual 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Seton Hall Houston, TX
G 6 Larry Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Creighton Savannah, GA
F 7 Jerrell Colbert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr SMU Houston, TX
G 8 Tyshawn Archie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Tulsa Houston, TX
G 9 JJ Rembert 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Cincinnati Queens, NY
G/F 10 Jacolb Fredson-Cole 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS So Oklahoma Bellaire, TX
G 11 Brewer Kaleb 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Link Prep Waco, TX
F 13 Yanis Ndjonga 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Baylor Yaoundé, Cameroon
G 14 Erik Villarreal 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Clear Lake High School Houston, TX
F 13 Peitok Machar 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Triton College Sydney, Australia
G 23 Carl Cherenfant 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr New Mexico State Pompano Beach, FL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 28, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2025*
3:00 p.m. 		Grambling State W 62–56 
 14 – Tied   11 – Johnson   2 – Tied  Townsley Law Arena 
Lake Charles, LA
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
6:30 p.m. 		Champion Christian W 127–65  1–0
  30 – Johnson   11 – Ndjonga   6 – Fredson-Cole  Townsley Law Arena (2,587)
Lake Charles, LA
November 7, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Santa Clara L 67–79  1–1
  18 – Johnson   9 – Fredson-Cole   4 – Fredson-Cole  Leavey Center (1,205)
Santa Clara, CA
November 10, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Biblical Studies W 132–50  2–1
  25 – Johnson   9 – Fredson-Cole   11 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (2,736)
Lake Charles, LA
November 14, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Louisiana W 88–62  3–1
  24 – Johnson   6 – Fredson-Cole   7 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (4,333)
Lake Charles, LA
November 23, 2025*
4:00 p.m., FloCollege 		vs. George Washington
Cayman Islands Classic 		W 92–86  4–1
  18 – Garcia   14 – Machar   7 – Dual  John Gray Gymnasium (500)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 24, 2025*
6:30 p.m., FloCollege 		vs. Murray State
Cayman Islands Classic 		W 73–60  5–1
  17 – Archie   7 – Machar   6 – Garcia  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 25, 2025*
4:00 p.m., FloCollege 		vs. Middle Tennessee
Cayman Islands Classic 		W 72–62  6–1
  26 – Garcia   10 – Cherenfant   2 – Tied  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
December 1, 2025
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Incarnate Word L 67–71  6–2
(0–1) 		 18 – Dual   5 – Dual   1 – Tied  McDermott Center (1,003)
San Antonio, TX
December 5, 2025
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northwestern State W 92–54  7–2
(1–1) 		 14 – Tied   8 – Johnson   6 – Johnson  Townsley Law Arena (3,255)
Lake Charles, LA
December 9, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Rhode Island W 66–64  8–2
  18 – Archie   6 – Tied   4 – Dual  Ryan Center (3,419)
Kingston, RI
December 12, 2025
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Texas A&M W 102–66  9–2
(2–1) 		 24 – Archie   8 – Johnson   6 – Tied  Townsley Law Arena (3,179)
Lake Charles, LA
December 15, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Houston Christian W 78–68  10–2
(3–1) 		 22 – Johnson   7 – Colbert   5 – Dual  Sharp Gymnasium (803)
Houston, TX
December 29, 2025*
6:00 p.m., B1G+ 		at No. 2 Michigan L 71–112  10–3
  15 – Dual   7 – Johnson   3 – Dual  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
January 2, 2026
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Lamar
Battle of the Border 		W 82–70  11–3
(4–1) 		 21 – Holifield   10 – East   4 – Wilhite  Townsley Law Arena (4,612)
Lake Charles, LA
January 5, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Stephen F. Austin W 66–64  12–3
(5–1) 		 15 – Patrick   11 – Christmas   5 – Patrick  Townsley Law Arena (2,784)
Lake Charles, LA
January 10, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southeastern Louisiana W 73–61  13–3
(6–1) 		 13 – Edison   9 – Myles   5 – Pickett  Townsley Law Arena (3,112)
Lake Charles, LA
January 12, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Nicholls W 94–68  14–3
(7–1) 		 24 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   5 – Tied  Townsley Law Arena (3,073)
Lake Charles, LA
January 17, 2026
4:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UT Rio Grande Valley L 76–79  14–4
(7–2) 		 23 – Archie   10 – Fredson-Cole   4 – Dual  UTRGV Fieldhouse (2,119)
Edinburg, TX
January 19, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 69–53  15–4
(8–2) 		 17 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   3 – Dual  Dugan Wellness Center (1,038)
Corpus Christi, TX
January 24, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		New Orleans W 82–63  16–4
(9–2) 		 26 – Johnson   8 – Johnson   5 – Johnson  Townsley Law Arena (3,236)
Lake Charles, LA
January 27, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Southeastern Louisiana W 76−66  17–4
(10–2) 		 20 – Johnson   7 – Ndjonga   3 – Dual  University Center (488)
Hammond, LA
January 31, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Lamar
Battle of the Border 		W 64–63  18–4
(11–2) 		 22 – Johnson   12 – Colbert   3 – Archie  Neches Arena (5,714)
Beaumont, TX
February 2, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Stephen F. Austin L 60–67  18–5
(11–3) 		 16 – Archie   11 – Colbert   6 – Archie  William R. Johnson Coliseum (5,687)
Nacogdoches, TX
February 7, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Incarnate Word W 81–64  19–5
(12–3) 		 17 – Tied   6 – Fredson-Cole   9 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (3,554)
Lake Charles, LA
February 9, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Houston Christian W 73–69  20–5
(13–3) 		 18 – Garcia   5 – Colbert   5 – Archie  Townsley Law Arena (3,094)
Lake Charles, LA
February 14, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Texas A&M W 97–54  21–5
(14–3) 		 21 – Garcia   9 – Machar   5 – Dual  The Field House (502)
Commerce, TX
February 16, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northwestern State W 75–64  22–5
(15–3) 		 24 – Archie   7 – Machar   2 – Tied  Prather Coliseum (601)
Natchitoches, LA
February 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 70–54  23–5
(16–3) 		 23 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   5 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (3,298)
Lake Charles, LA
February 23, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		UT Rio Grande Valley W 75–68  24–5
(17–3) 		 20 – Johnson   9 – Colbert   5 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (2,872)
Lake Charles, LA
February 28, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at New Orleans W 66–63  25–5
(18–3) 		 17 – Tied   7 – Johnson   3 – Archie  Lakefront Arena (1,045)
New Orleans, LA
March 2, 2026
6:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at Nicholls W 75–65  26–5
(19–3) 		 25 – Johnson   6 – Johnson   5 – Archie  Stopher Gymnasium (912)
Thibodaux, LA
Southland Conference tournament
March 10, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(2) (3) UT Rio Grande Valley
Semifinals 		W 84–80 3OT 27–5
  27 – Johnson   12 – Johnson   10 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (4,481)
Lake Charles, LA
March 11, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(2) (1) Stephen F. Austin
Championship 		W 76–59  28–5
  31 – Garcia   7 – Ndjonga   6 – Dual  Townsley Law Arena (5,272)
Lake Charles, LA
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2026*
2:15 pm, TruTV 		(12 S) vs. (5 S) No. 16 Vanderbilt
First round 		L 68–78  28–6
  16 – Dual   6 – Colbert   6 – Dual  Paycom Center (15,677)
Oklahoma City, OK
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Central.

Source:[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Southland Conference. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  2. ^ Pugh, Jason (March 11, 2025). "Demons' comeback falls short in semifinal loss to McNeese". Northwestern State University Athletics. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  3. ^ Bonnette, Matthew (March 12, 2025). "MISSION COMPLETE!!! Bandits capture 2nd straight SLC Tournament Title; New Mission Begins". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  4. ^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2025 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. April 8, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  5. ^ Bonnette, Matthew (March 20, 2025). "Cowboys down Tigers to claim first-ever March Madness win". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "Purdue Topples McNeese to Advance to Sixth Sweet 16 In Last Eight Tournaments". Purdue University Athletics. March 22, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  8. ^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2025–26". ESPN. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
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