The McNeese State Cowboys have parlayed their dominant season into a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA released the 68-team NCAA Tournament field on Sunday and the Cowboys earned a 12-seed in the Midwest Region.
The Cowboys will face No. 5 Clemson in the opening round of the tournament. The game will be Thursday at 2:15 p.m.
This is the second-straight season that the Cowboys make the NCAA Tournament. Last year, they got in and lost to Gonzaga in the opening round.
Coach Will Wade’s Cowboys are 27-6. Las Vegas has Clemson as a 7.5-point favorite.
The Cowboys will be the only Louisiana team in the field.
LSU did not make the NCAA Tournament – a surprise to no one as the Tigers were a dreadful 14-18 on the year.
But what is drawing the ire of some Tigers’ fans is that LSU reportedly turned down a bit to the NIT.
The NIT is one of the longest standing basketball tournaments in the country. But the event has lost its luster in recent years because most teams on the bubble turn down their invitations to get a jump on recruiting the transfer portal.
The Tigers are going to be active in the portal this offseason with a renewed financial commitment from the university. LSU is reportedly going to be in on some of the top players in the country in the portal in an attempt to catch up to the powers in the conference, which had 14 of 16 teams make the NCAAs.