McNeese State University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have achieved a combined total of 53 wins this season, placing them third in the nation among NCAA Division I programs for combined victories. As of Tuesday, the Cowgirls hold a record of 27-4 overall (21-1 Southland Conference), while the Cowboys stand at 26-5 (19-3 SLC).
Nationally, only two schools have more combined wins: UConn with 58 and Miami (OH) with 54. UConn’s women’s team is undefeated at 31-0, and their men’s team holds a 27-3 record. Miami (OH) leads with its men’s team at 30-0 and women’s team at 24-5.
McNeese’s success surpasses that of several prominent programs such as Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, and Michigan State. The university is also one of just 34 out of 365 Division I schools where both men’s and women’s teams have secured at least 20 wins each this season.
“I could not be more proud of these two programs. For McNeese to be ranked No. 3 in the nation… it’s simply amazing,” said McNeese Vice President/Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer.
“The success we’ve achieved isn’t accidental. It’s the result of an extraordinary amount of hard work from a lot of people. When you see what’s happened with our university’s enrollment -and feel the energy across campus and throughout the community- I think it’s safe to say basketball has been a big part of that. Being able to see the vision we had years ago become a reality is something I take great pride in. What’s even more exciting is knowing that with Coach Armstrong and Coach Guzzardo, we’re just getting started!
“The next step is clear: win these two tournaments and put both programs on the national stage, exactly where they’ve proven they belong. For a school like McNeese, with our size and budget, to be ahead of programs like University of Michigan and other Power Four institutions says a lot. We’ve arrived. We are a nationally relevant basketball school. And we’re only getting started.”
The Cowgirls set new records for most wins in a single season (27), most Southland Conference victories in one year (21—a conference record), and currently maintain a winning streak of 20 games—the third-longest active streak in NCAA women’s basketball behind UConn’s run (47) as well as UCLA and Rice tied at 22 games each.
Their current ranking at No. 83 in the NCAA NET rankings marks an all-time high for McNeese’s women’s program.
The Cowboys’ performance includes achieving their second-highest regular-season win total in school history; their best was set last year with 28 victories during the regular season, while matching last year’s school record for league wins at 19—second-most ever recorded within their conference.
Currently riding an eight-game winning streak themselves, the Cowboys have won their last 27 home games inside Townsley Law Arena—placing them third nationally for longest active home winning streaks behind Miami OH/Duke (31 each) and Akron (30).
Over three seasons combined, McNeese has accumulated an overall record of 84-16—including going undefeated or nearly so within conference play by posting a mark of 55-5 over that span—the highest number nationally among all Division I schools during that period.
Both teams will participate next week in the Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Tournament: The Cowboys enter semifinal action Tuesday night while the Cowgirls will compete Wednesday morning in their own semifinal round.
