LAKE CHARLES, La. (Interstat) — A surging McNeese State looks to maintain its grip on the Southland Conference when it hosts an Incarnate Word team coming off a major high Saturday at Burton Coliseum.

The Cowboys (18-5, 8-2), who sit atop the league standings, aim to bounce back from a 67-60 road loss to Stephen F. Austin on Monday that snapped a five-game winning streak. Prior to that, McNeese had won 10 of its last 11 games, establishing itself as the conference favorite.

Incarnate Word (10-13, 4-6) arrives with momentum after a stunning 71-69 road victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday. The win was a bright spot in a challenging stretch where the Cardinals had lost seven of their previous nine games.

The matchup features two of the league’s top guards. Incarnate Word is powered by Davion Bailey, who is coming off a career-high 36-point performance in the win over Corpus Christi. Over his last five games, Bailey is averaging 16.8 points.

McNeese State counters with dynamic guard Tyshawn Archie, who leads the team in scoring and playmaking. Archie posted 16 points and six assists in the loss to Stephen F. Austin and has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight contests.

The Cowboys won both meetings last season, but the Cardinals scored a 71-67 victory in the most recent head-to-head matchup on Dec. 1 in San Antonio. McNeese will rely on its home-court advantage, where it is 9-1 this season, while UIW seeks its first consecutive wins since late December.

Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in a game that will test the Cowboys’ championship credentials against a Cardinal squad that has shown it can pull off an upset.