Southland Basketball Tournament 2025: Why Will Wade and McNeese Just Keep Winning

Will Wade is back. Whether you love the guy or think he's the villain of college hoops, there's no denying that the man knows how to win. In Lake Charles, the 2025 Jersey Mike’s Southland Basketball Championships presented by Explore Louisiana felt less like a neutral-site tournament and more like a coronation.

The McNeese Cowboys didn't just win. They dominated. They effectively turned the Legacy Center into their own private party from March 9 through March 12, 2025. It was their second straight title. If you're a fan of a different Southland school, honestly, it had to be a bit frustrating to watch.

The McNeese Juggernaut in Lake Charles

Look, we all knew McNeese was the favorite. They entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed with a staggering 19-1 conference record. That's not just good; it's "the rest of the league is in trouble" good.

The format of the Southland Basketball Tournament 2025 gave the top two seeds—McNeese and Lamar—a double-bye straight into the semifinals. This is huge. It means while teams like Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are grinding through early-round games and burning their legs, the heavy hitters are just sitting back, watching film, and staying fresh.

When McNeese finally took the court on Tuesday, March 11, they faced Northwestern State. The Demons had some momentum after beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 66-63, but it didn't matter. McNeese took them apart, winning 83-64. Javohn Garcia, the league’s Player of the Year, was basically a cheat code, dropping 24 points.

The Battle of I-10: Lamar vs. McNeese

The championship game on Wednesday, March 12, was what everyone wanted: The No. 1 seed against the No. 2 seed. Lamar had survived a real scare against Nicholls in the semifinals, winning 58-55, to set up this "Battle of I-10" final.

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It was a slugfest.
Pure and simple.

Lamar’s defense was gritty. They held McNeese to 42% shooting and only 3-of-17 from the three-point line. Usually, if you hold a Will Wade team to those numbers, you win. But McNeese is built differently. They are physical. They rebound. And they have Quadir Copeland.

Copeland finished with 18 points and 3 steals. Every time Lamar made a run—and they did, cutting the lead to one point at 38-37 in the second half—McNeese had an answer. The turning point was a ferocious dunk by Christian Shumate off a Copeland steal with about four minutes left. That play basically sucked the air out of whatever comeback Lamar had planned.

McNeese won 63-54. Javohn Garcia took home the MVP trophy. For the first time in school history, the Cowboys booked back-to-back trips to the Big Dance.

What Happened on the Women's Side?

While the guys were stealing the headlines, the women’s bracket was arguably even more competitive. Southeastern Louisiana came in as the No. 1 seed after a dominant 19-1 regular season, but the Southland is rarely predictable.

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The women’s tournament actually wrapped up on Thursday, March 13. Stephen F. Austin, the No. 3 seed, decided to crash the party. They took down No. 2 Lamar 61-53 in the semifinals and then faced the top-seeded Lady Lions in the final.

In a defensive masterclass, SFA pulled off the upset, winning 65-57. It just goes to show that even when you have a dominant regular season like Southeastern did, March is a different animal. SFA’s experience showed through, and they earned that automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Tournament Essentials and Logistics

If you were there, you know the Legacy Center is a great venue, but the Southland has some specific rules you gotta follow. They’ve actually committed to keeping the tournament in Lake Charles through 2029.

• Cashless is the law: If you wanted a hot dog or a program, your crumpled five-dollar bill was useless. Everything from tickets to concessions was card-only.
• The "Clear Bag" life: Standard stuff for 2025, but they were strict. No big purses, no backpacks.
• No Noisemakers: They banned cowbells and artificial noisemakers. Honestly, the McNeese fans were loud enough without them.

The attendance for the men's final was 4,106. That’s a packed house for a mid-major conference tournament, and the atmosphere was electric.

Why This Tournament Matters for the Future

The Southland is changing. With teams like Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV coming into the mix, the level of play has jumped. We’re moving away from the days when this was a "one-bid league" that nobody paid attention to.

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Will Wade has brought a spotlight to this conference that hasn't been there in a long time. Love him or hate him, people are tuning in to see if McNeese can pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament.

For the rest of the schools, the goal is clear: Figure out how to stop the McNeese machine. Lamar is close. Nicholls is always a threat. But as of 2025, the road to the Southland title runs through Lake Charles.

How to Prepare for Next Season

If you missed the Southland Basketball Tournament 2025, you missed a clinic in mid-major intensity. To stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season, you should:

1. Monitor the Transfer Portal: McNeese’s success is built on high-level transfers; see who they (and Lamar) target this summer.
2. Watch the Scheduling: Look for Southland teams playing "buy games" against Power 4 schools in November. That's where you see who has the depth to compete in March.
3. Book Early: Since the tournament is staying in Lake Charles, hotel prices near McNeese State University spike fast once March hits.

The 2025 tournament proved that the Southland isn't just a stepping stone—it's a destination for high-level basketball.