Southland Conference 2026-27 Preview: Bill Armstrong's McNeese Cowboys Lead a Loaded 12-Team Race

Sophomore guard Larry Johnson sliced through UAB's perimeter defense for 31 points while Dellquan Warren orchestrated nine assists without flinching, turning what oddsmakers expected to be an early-season test into a 99-78 McNeese Cowboys runaway in Lake Charles. Under head coach Bill Armstrong, McNeese sits at 2-1 after following a competitive 77-67 road battle at unbeaten North Texas with a 135-87 scoring avalanche led by Elijah Moore's 29 points and Warren's 12 assists.

Across Texas and Louisiana, however, the rest of the 12-team Southland Conference has refused to concede the throne. Jaret von Rosenberg's East Texas A&M Lions are 2-0 on the road after shocking SEC foe Oklahoma 68-64 in Norman and edging Rice 72-71 in Houston, Craig Doty's Houston Christian Huskies stand atop the standings at 3-0, and Matt Braeuer's Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have outscored two home foes 209-93.

McNeese's High-Octane Backcourt Versus Stephen F. Austin's Defensive Clamp

Modern Southland basketball revolves around turnover margin and transition points per possession, an efficiency metric tracking how many points a lineup generates before an opponent can set its half-court shell. Bill Armstrong has preserved McNeese's relentless downhill identity while empowering a dynamic guard rotation. Alongside Larry Johnson's 31-point outburst against UAB and Jaylon Dean-Vines's 20-point showing at North Texas, Dellquan Warren has totaled 25 assists across three contests, flanked by 6-foot-5 senior wing Carl Cherenfant and rim-running frontcourt anchors Jerrell Colbert (6-foot-10) and Corey Chest (6-foot-8).

With road tests at Texas State on November 22 and Louisiana on November 28 ahead, McNeese possesses both the perimeter athleticism to trap ball-handlers and the half-court shot creation to score against set defenses. Putting 99 points on an athletic American Conference roster like UAB proved Armstrong's offense does not rely solely on transition run-outs against overmatched competition.

Their fiercest structural foil resides in Nacogdoches, where Matt Braeuer has Stephen F. Austin at 2-0 behind suffocating ball pressure. The Lumberjacks blitzed Lyon 120-61 behind 18 points from junior guard Narit Chotikavanic and five assists from Courterius Scott, then held Texas Lutheran to an astonishing 32 total points in an 89-32 clinic paced by freshman guard Erik Makke and Ashton Simmons. With 6-foot-9 senior Edwin Daniel and 6-foot-6 senior guard Christian Green providing veteran muscle, upcoming matchups at Abilene Christian on November 12, home versus Rice on November 14, and home against Indiana State on November 20 will reveal just how high SFA's ceiling climbs.

Road Warriors: East Texas A&M and Unbeaten Houston Christian Crash the Tier

No program in mid-major basketball owns a pound-for-pound stronger two-game road resume on November 11 than Jaret von Rosenberg's 2-0 East Texas A&M Lions. Winning 68-64 at Oklahoma behind 22 points and five assists from junior forward Bo Aldridge stunned the national scoreboard, and East Texas A&M immediately proved it was no fluke by going into Tudor Fieldhouse and beating Rice 72-71 behind 23 points from 6-foot-9 freshman forward Mohamed Diakite and six assists from senior guard Alonzo Dodd. Before heading to Portland and Oregon State next week, the Lions host Fairleigh Dickinson on November 11 with surging confidence.

Meanwhile, Craig Doty's rebuild at Houston Christian has erupted ahead of schedule with a 3-0 start. After routing Louisiana Christian 108-45, the Huskies swept a tough Midwest road swing, beating Western Illinois 74-67 behind 16 points from senior guard Bubz Alvarez and five assists from Esyah Pippa-White, then knocking off South Dakota 87-76 in Vermillion behind a 26-point, four-assist masterclass from 6-foot senior point guard Max Alexander. With 6-foot-6 seniors Kam Clark and Mambourou Mara spacing the floor, Houston Christian has legitimate top-four staying power.

Jim Shaw's Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (2-1) and Jordan Fee's Lamar Cardinals (1-1) round out an upper tier packed with physicality. Corpus Christi earned a gritty 67-60 road victory at Louisiana behind 14 points from junior forward Bin Basil and senior guard Isaiah Lewis before routing Dallas Christian 102-58 behind Khi Wallace's 18 points, with 6-foot-10 senior center Jamal Ambrose and Desmond Kent Jr. heading to Florida State on November 13. In Beaumont, Lamar followed a 124-62 opener by pushing Abilene Christian to the final buzzer in an 83-81 road loss, fueled by senior guard Quante Berry's back-to-back 22-point and 20-point outings alongside Niccolo Moretti's 14 combined assists.

Middle-Pack Depth From the Rio Grande Valley to Louisiana's Corridor

Even the Southland's middle tier has flashed dangerous shot-making early in 2026-27. Brandon Chambers has UT Rio Grande Valley at 2-1 in Edinburg, topping Texas A&M-Kingsville 81-51 behind B.B. Knight and Prairie View A&M 68-63 behind Jace Posey's 22 points. Stacy Hollowell's LSU New Orleans Privateers sit at 1-1 after routing Loyola New Orleans 90-65 behind Kahlil Singleton's 19 points.

Across southern Louisiana, Nicholls (1-2) pushed UAB to 70-63 and Tulane to 77-63 on the road behind senior forward AJ Dent and Sheridan Sharp ahead of Louisiana Tech and the Ole Miss Rebels on November 18. David Kiefer's SE Louisiana Lions (1-2) won 83-79 at Little Rock behind sophomore guard Jackson Furman's 21 points and Tyler Rolison between trips to Auburn and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Rounding out the table, Rick Cabrera's Northwestern State Demons (1-3) lean on Kai Simpson—who scored 24 at Murray State and 17 at Baylor—while Shane Heirman's Incarnate Word Cardinals (0-3) feature Mekhi Conner and 6-foot-9 junior Godswill Erheriene.

2026-27 Southland Winner Prediction: McNeese Defends Home Turf in March 2027

Geography and bracket math converge powerfully in the Southland Conference Tournament, which returns to the Legacy Center in Lake Charles in March 2027 and awards double-byes straight into the semifinals for the top two regular-season finishers. Stephen F. Austin's suffocating defense under Matt Braeuer and East Texas A&M's fearless road shot-making under Jaret von Rosenberg will keep the regular-season standings tightly bunched into late February 2027.

Ultimately, guard depth, rim protection, and home-arena familiarity tilt the scales decisively toward Bill Armstrong's squad. With Larry Johnson, Jaylon Dean-Vines, and Elijah Moore supplying three distinct 20-point perimeter threats around Dellquan Warren's playmaking and Jerrell Colbert's interior length, the McNeese Cowboys are built to secure a top-two double-bye and cut down the nets on their home floor in Lake Charles in March 2027.