Southland
The Southland was run by McNeese State last season, as Will Wade’s team posted a record of 30-4 in his first year with the program. The Cowboys had never won more than 22 games in any season prior.
McNeese had the highest win percentage against teams within the conference among all Division I teams last season, going 19-1 between conference play and the Southland tournament. The Cowboys bring back much of last season’s core while adding four transfers from the power conference level to further improve an offense that was 13th in points scored on a per possession basis last season.
The conference brings in two new members with Stephen F Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley entering from the WAC. This is a reunion for Stephen F Austin, which was a Southland member from 1987-88 through the 2020-21 seasons.
The step down in competition should help a Stephen F Austin team that had its second-worst win percentage in 18 seasons last year, finishing 18-15. The Lumberjacks will look to improve a defense that ranked 345th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage last season (37.1%) and ranked 357th in turnovers per possession on offense.
The conference as a whole is made up of teams that force a ton of turnovers, with Stephen F Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley included. Seven of the top 94 teams in the country in this category are in the Southland, with McNeese sixth and Stephen F Austin seventh nationally.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi had their two losses to McNeese come by a combined eight points and have made two of the past three NCAA Tournaments. The Islanders bring back much of a core that was 21st in points allowed on a per possession basis and 31st in opponent 3-point shooting percentage at 31.1% last season.
The lone loss within the conference for McNeese last season came at the hands of Southeast Louisiana, which has point guard Carlos Paez back for a sixth season after being limited to eight games last season. He’ll bolster a team that had an assist on 60.3% of its made field goals, ranking 18th in the country.
