McNeese men’s basketball is regular season champs of the Southland Conference for a second straight season. The Cowboys clinched the title with a 100 to 65 win over UT Rio Grande Valley last night. McNeese will have the number one seed in the upcoming Southland Tournament and Coach Will Wade says winning it will guarantee them a spot in the Big Dance.
“Look, I’m not trying to rain on anybody’s parade, but this is just the next step in the process. We’re certainly going to enjoy this step in the process, but this is not what anybody signed up for,” Wade said.
This is only the second time McNeese has won back-to-back regular season championships. The first time they did it was the early 2000s. Wade says it takes consistency to go back-to-back
“The ultimate compliment you can pay anybody is that they are consistent, they’re reliable, they’re dependable, and our guys have been that over the course of two years with different guys,” Wade said.
The Cowboys are now 34-2 in Southland Conference games under Wade. Christian Shumate has been a major part of the Cowboys success as he had his 39th career double-double last night, 19 points and 10 rebounds. The senior says it’s been a great ride.
“I just never would have imagined the day that we would have been able to go back-to-back and lose two conference games in two years so far. Grateful for every opportunity as they come, and I keep living in the moment, keep soaking it all in and keep on trying to give back to our fans,” Shumate said.
The Cowboys have two more regular season games on the road and then the Southland Conference Tournament starts in Lake Charles on Sunday, March 9th.
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