McNeese men’s and women’s basketball non-conference schedules announced

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese men’s and women’s basketball teams announced their 2022-23 non-conference basketball schedules on Sunday, slates that features a combined 11 games including seven against Division I opponents. The Southland Conference schedule is expected to be released sometime in the coming week.

In addition, McNeese will host both the men’s and women’s Southland Conference Basketball Tournament March 5-9.

The Cowboys will play six non-conference and nine league home games while the Cowgirls will five non-SLC and nine conference contests.

A November 7 morning start against Ecclesia will kick off the season for the Cowgirls. This date has been designated as Calcasieu Parish School Day as students will be admitted free to the 11 a.m. game.

On Nov. 10, the Cowgirls will host UT-Rio Grand Valley out of the WAC then will hit the road for four straight games – Nov. 16 at Illinois, Nov. 19 at Bradley, Nov. 20 at Ohio State and Nov. 22 at Xavier. McNeese will return on Nov. 29 to host Arkansas State of the Sun Belt, Dec. 1 vs. North American University, and Dec. 14 against ULM. Visits to Ole Miss (Dec. 17) and Texas Texas (Dec. 19) will close out the non-conference slate.

“After last season, we wanted to have more of a balance between home and away games in the non-conference,” said second-year head coach Lynn Kennedy. “Playing the away games last year set us up to have some great opponents in the Legacy (Center). We look forward to our first Kid’s Game on November 7. It Should be a fun environment.

“The away non-conference schedule features some of the best teams in women’s basketball. We are excited for the challenge and anticipate those games helping us prepare us for SLC play.”

Following the Nov. 7 opener vs. Champion Christian, set for a 7 p.m. tip, the Cowboys will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane on Nov. 11. Following that, the Cowboys will host a MTE (Multiple-Team Event) tournament Nov. 18-20 that will see McNeese Western Carolina on Nov. 18, Lindenwood on the 19th and Lamar on the 20th.

The Cowboys will then hit the road for five straight games for visits to Baylor (Nov. 23), UT Martin (Nov. 28), Tennessee (Nov. 30), Northern Iowa (Dec. 9) and Iowa State (Dec. 11).

McNeese will return home on Nov. 15 to host UL-Lafayette then will travel to Southern Miss (Nov. 18) and Houston (Nov. 21).

An exhibition game on Dec. 29 vs. Carver will close out non-conference action.

“I’m really excited about the schedule for a lot of reasons,” said Cowboys’ second-year head coach John Aiken. “Having four of our first five games at home is incredibly rare here at McNeese, so it provides us a great opportunity to get some rhythm and confidence. I’m really excited about hosting a MTE for the first time in quite a while. That will provide a tournament-type setting and prepare us for what to expect come March.”

Western Carolina is a member of the Southern Conference while Lindenwood is part of the Ohio Valley Conference.

“We have some significant challenges going to three preseason Top 15 programs in Houston, Baylor and Tennessee, in addition to playing at Tulane, Northern Iowa and Iowa State. Those games will be challenging but also provide us great opportunities to test ourselves,” said Aiken. “Having ULL back at the Legacy Center will provide a great chance to renew the rivalry in Lake Charles. We will go to UT Martin and Southern Miss this year and will have them return to the Legacy Center next year. This means we will have at least seven Division I home non-conference games over the next two seasons. That’s a big deal for our fan base and our opportunity to create and continue some of the momentum we have going right now.”

The Southland Conference schedule is still being tweaked by the league office and is expected to be released in the coming days.

2022-23 McNeese Cowboys Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 7 CARVER
Nov. 11 at Tulane
Nov. 18 !WESTERN CAROLINA
Nov. 19 !LINDENWOOD
Nov. 20 !LAMAR
Nov. 23 at Baylor
Nov. 28 at UT Martin
Nov. 30 at Tennessee
Dec. 9 at Northern Iowa
Dec. 11 at Iowa State
Dec. 15 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
Dec. 18 at Southern Mississippi
Dec. 21 at Houston
Dec. 29 CHAMPION CHRISTIAN (exhibition)
! – McNeese MTE

2022-23 McNeese Cowgirls Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 7 ECCLESIA
Nov. 10 UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Nov. 16 at Illinois
Nov. 19 at Bradley
Nov. 20 at Ohio State
Nov. 22 at Xavier (OH)
Nov. 29 ARKANSAS STATE
Dec. 1 NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Dec. 14 UL MONROE
Dec. 17 at Ole Miss
Dec. 19 at Texas Tech