# 2021–22 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team

The 2021–22 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys, led by first-year head coach John Aiken, played their home games at Burton Coliseum until moving to The Legacy Center on January 15, 2022 following hurricane damage repairs, in Lake Charles, Louisiana as members of the Southland Conference.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cowboys finished the 2020–21 season 10–14, 4–10 in Southland play to finish in tenth place. They lost to Southeastern Louisiana in the first round of the Southland tournament.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at SMU | L 62–86 | 0–1 | Moody Coliseum (3,259) Dallas, TX |
| November 11, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at TCU | L 61–77 | 0–2 | Schollmaier Arena (5,267) Fort Worth, TX |
| November 15, 2021* 6:30 pm | | Champion Christian | W 116–66 | 1–2 | Burton Coliseum (667) Lake Charles, LA |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+ | | at LSU Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game | L 46–85 | 1–3 | Maravich Center (9,062) Baton Rouge, LA |
| November 22, 2021* 6:30 pm | | Carver | W 98–54 | 2–3 | Burton Coliseum (1,905) Lake Charles, LA |
| November 26, 2021* 11:00 am | | vs. St. Francis Brooklyn Emerald Coast Classic Second Round | W 95–71 | 3–3 | Raider Arena (250) Destin, FL |
| November 27, 2021* 12:30 pm | | vs. Samford Emerald Coast Classic Championship | L 75–83 | 3–4 | Raider Arena (125) Destin, FL |
| December 1, 2021* 9:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Seattle | L 62–78 | 3–5 | Climate Pledge Arena (775) Seattle, WA |
| December 4, 2021* 3:00 pm | | at Wyoming | L 58-79 | 3–6 | Arena-Auditorium (3,726) Laramie, WY |
| December 8, 2021* 7:05 pm, ESPN+ | | at Louisiana | L 68–83 | 3–7 | Cajundome (2,524) Lafayette, LA |
| December 16, 2021* 7:00 pm, CUSA-TV | | at UTEP | L 72–82 | 3–8 | Don Haskins Center (5,522) El Paso, TX |
| December 18, 2021* 4:00 pm | | Dallas Christian | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Burton Coliseum Lake Charles, LA |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Kansas State | L 59–74 | 3–9 | Bramlage Coliseum (5,223) Manhattan, KS |
| December 30, 2021* 11:00 am | | Ecclesia | W 115–66 | 4–9 | Burton Coliseum (1,101) Lake Charles, LA |
| January 6, 2022* 1:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. New Orleans Southland Basketball Tip-Off First Round | W 92–82 $^{2OT}$ | 5–9 | Merrell Center Katy, TX |
| January 7, 2022* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Southeastern Louisiana Southland Basketball Tip-Off Semifinals | L 78–83 | 5–10 | Merrell Center Katy, TX |
| January 8, 2022* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Southland Basketball Tip-Off 3rd Place Game | L 54–67 | 5–11 | Merrell Center Katy, TX |
| January 12, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Arlington Baptist | W 120–44 | 6–11 | The Legacy Center (150) Lake Charles, LA |
| Southland Conference season ||||||
| January 15, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Houston Baptist | W 78–75 | 7–11 (1–0) | The Legacy Center (2,405) Lake Charles, LA |
| January 20, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | L 56–60 | 7–12 (1–1) | American Bank Center (1,023) Corpus Christi, TX |
| January 22, 2022 4:00 pm | | at Incarnate Word | W 82–72 | 8–12 (2–1) | McDermott Center (216) San Antonio, TX |
| January 27, 2022 7:30 pm | | Nicholls | L 71–81 | 8–13 (2–2) | The Legacy Center (1,734) Lake Charles, LA |
| January 30, 2022 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | New Orleans | L 78–84 | 8–14 (2–3) | The Legacy Center (1,712) Lake Charles, LA |
| February 3, 2022 7:30 pm | | Southeastern Louisiana | L 78–83 | 8–15 (2–4) | The Legacy Center (1,435) Lake Charles, LA |
| February 5, 2022 4:00 pm | | Northwestern State | W 93–84 | 9–15 (3–4) | The Legacy Center (2,115) Lake Charles, LA |
| February 10, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southeastern Louisiana | L 86–91 | 9–16 (3–5) | University Center (743) Hammond, LA |
| February 12, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northwestern State | W 80–75 | 10–16 (4–5) | Prather Coliseum (738) Natchitoches, LA |
| February 17, 2022 7:00 pm | | at Nicholls | L 73–82 | 10–17 (4–6) | Stopher Gym (1,121) Thibodaux, LA |
| February 19, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at New Orleans | L 75–88 | 10–18 (4–7) | Lakefront Arena (1,245) New Orleans, LA |
| February 24, 2022 7:30 pm | | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | L 53–65 | 10–19 (4–8) | The Legacy Center (1,474) Lake Charles, LA |
| February 26, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Incarnate Word | L 67–69 | 10–20 (4–9) | The Legacy Center (1,643) Lake Charles, LA |
| March 5, 2022 7:00 pm | | at Houston Baptist | L 144–149 $^{4OT}$ | 10–21 (4–10) | Sharp Gym (792) Houston, TX |
| Southland tournament ||||||
| March 9, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (6) Northwestern State First round | W 80–67 | 11–21 | Merrell Center Katy, TX |
| March 10, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (3) New Orleans Second round | L 78–82 | 11–22 | Merrell Center Katy, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
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