PREVIEW: McNeese Meets Undefeated Michigan in Final Non-Conference Game

Ann Arbor, Michigan (KNGT-FM) - The McNeese Cowboys close out non-conference play Monday night with their biggest test of the season. McNeese travels to Ann Arbor to take on No. 2 Michigan inside the Crisler Center.

2 years ago, not many knew about Will Wade's Bayou Bandits on the national stage; that was until they went and upset a struggling Michigan team. Since then, the Cowboys have made it to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, including the win over Clemson. But make no mistake, this is not the same Michigan team McNeese beat two years ago.

“That was two years ago, and these are two completely different teams,” Armstrong said when asked about McNeese’s upset win at Michigan in 2023. “We’ll see how it plays out.”

If they want to pull off the heroics, it will take a lot.

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#2 Michigan Off To Blazing Start To Season

Michigan is 11-0 and one of the final undefeated teams left in the country. The Wolverines are ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. They are also the nation’s leader in scoring margin, beating teams by nearly 30 points per game.

Michigan has been dominant at home, going 5-0 at Crisler Center. The Wolverines score more than 95 points per game and feature multiple players averaging double figures, led by Yaxel Lendeborg.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Bill Armstrong said. “We’ve been off for two weeks, so we’re excited to get back into a rhythm and see how we stack up against the No. 1 team in the country.”

As I was saying, it's going to take a little heroics if the Cowboys want to pull the midseason upset.

Michigan head coach Dusty May praised McNeese, saying the Cowboys “should be an NCAA Tournament team” and warned his squad not to overlook the matchup.

“They don’t have many weaknesses,” Armstrong said. “They’re deep, they’re big, they shoot it well, and they’re the best defensive team in the country.”

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Just two Cowboys remain from the 2023 matchup: Javohn Garcia and DJ Richards. Freshman Larry Johnson has been one of the best young stars in College Basketball this season. Johnson leads McNeese, scoring nearly 17 points per game.

“These are the games you want,” Johnson said. “You play teams like this to see where you stand. You want to line up against the best - and try to beat them.”

“We just want to play our brand of basketball,” Armstrong said. “We have standards as a team, and we want to live up to those.”

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How To Watch McNeese Take On Michigan

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will stream live on B1G+, which costs $12.99 per month

What's Next For McNeese?

The matchup with Michigan sets up a big week for the McNeese Men. After the trip to Ann Arbor, the Cowboys will return to Townsley Law Arena on Friday with a matchup with Lamar on CBS Sports Network, and then again on Monday against Stephen F Austin.