The 2023–24 McNeese Cowboys basketball team represented

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. M ...

in the

2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 6, 2023. The regular season ended on March 17, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament beginning with the First Four on March 19 and ending with th ...

. The Cowboys, led by first-year head coach

Will Wade Frank Williams Wade (born November 26, 1982) is an American college basketball coach who serves as the head men's basketball coach at NC State Wolfpack men's basketball, North Carolina State University. He previously coached at Chattanooga Mocs ...

, played their home games on-campus at The Legacy Center in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

as members of the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

. The Cowboys finished the season 30–4, 17–1 in Southland play, to finish as Southland regular-season champions. They defeated Lamar and Nicholls to win the Southland tournament title, earning their first trip to the NCAA tournament since

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. In the NCAA tournament, they received the #12 seed in the Midwest Region, where they fell to

Gonzaga Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonza ...

in the first round.

Preseason polls

Southland Conference Poll

The Southland Conference released its preseason poll on October 10, 2023. Receiving 142 votes overall and six first-place votes, the Cowboys were picked to finish second in the conference.

Preseason All Conference

Christian Shumate, forward, and Shahada Wells, guard, were selected as first-team members of a Preseason all conference team. Javohn Garcia, guard, was selected as a second-team member.

Roster

Schedule and results

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Conference awards and honors

Weekly awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team McNeese Cowboys basketball seasons

McNeese State Cowboys The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and foot ...

McNeese State Cowboys basketball The McNeese Cowboys basketball team represents McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Southland Conference. They are led by head coach Bill Armstrong and play their home ...

McNeese