GETTING INSIDE

Assuming it isn’t too beat up mentally or physically after ending its nonconference schedule against the likes of Texas Tech and LSU, McNeese State could just be battle-tested enough to make a bit of a run when Southland Conference play begins Jan. 9.

The Cowboys won’t have the flashiest of records, but they have gained as much experience from playing top competition as just about anyone.

Whether that leads to improvement on the 5-11 Southland record from a year ago remains to be seen, but the Cowboys certainly have some good basketball experiences to draw from.

Maybe the biggest improvement over a year ago is how well the team is protecting the basketball.

A mere plus-0.73 turnover margin isn’t going to impress many people, but considering the Cowboys ranked dead last in the Southland a season ago, and they were one of the nation’s worst in turnover margin at minus-3.3 a game, this year’s ball security has been a blessing.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Despite having one of the league’s best free-throw shooters (Patrick Richard) pad the team’s average, McNeese State had still struggled this season at the charity stripe, hitting just 132 of 174 free throws (64.4 percent). The Cowboys ranked No. 8 in the Southland Conference in that stat.

• McNeese State was one of two Southland teams drawing fewer than 500 fans per home game. In four games at Burton Coliseum this season, the Cowboys have averaged 491 fans.

January At A Glance:   It’s important the Cowboys don’t revert to the sloppy ways of 2008-09 in January. The team was one of the worst in the nation in turnover margin a season ago but have been good, not great, at holding onto the ball this season. In January, though, the team plays high-pressure defenses like Texas Tech, LSU and Texas-San Antonio.

Quote To Note:   “This is a good way to go into the break because we have some very tough opponents coming up.”—McNeese State coach Dave Simmons, after a Dec. 22 win over Southern (New Orleans).

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Season Recap:   After catching the island blues and going 0-3 in Hawaii to start the season, McNeese State has actually played a game better than .500 ball, essentially alternating wins and losses. The Cowboys got a big win over Louisiana-Lafayette, but they have also showed they can lay an egg, losing four times by more than 15 points.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—G Diego Kapelan, G Stephan Martin, F Patrick Richard, F P.J. Alawoya, C Preston David. Key Subs—PG Dontae Cannon, C Elbryan Neal, G Brandon Regis.

Game Review:  

McNeese State 61, Tulane 57

Louisiana Tech 79, McNeese State 58

McNeese State 77, Southern (New Orleans) 59

Game Preview:  

at Rice, Tuesday, Dec. 29

at Texas Tech, Friday, Jan. 1

at LSU, Monday, Jan. 4

vs. UTSA, Saturday, Jan. 9

at Lamar, Saturday, Jan. 16

In Focus:   Sandwiched in the middle of a three-game road stretch that ends nonconference play, the Jan. 1 game in Lubbock against nationally ranked Texas Tech won’t give McNeese State much of a chance at winning, but it will give the team plenty of opportunity to learn before league play starts. It precedes a Jan. 4 game at LSU, another opportunity to get beat up on by the big boys before Southland Conference play begins Jan. 9.

Roster Report:  

• Sophomore F Patrick Richard’s 87.9 percent free-throw accuracy ranks third in the Southland, and he remained in the top 50 in the nation in that category.

• Since rejoining the team in mid-December when he got his academics in order, senior C Elbryan Neal had averaged 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.