Who's catching these Cowboys?

Sounds like we’re headed for a day where the conference realignment rumors will start flying. Oh, joy.

Let's get to Wednesday’s news.

1. Will McNeese enter 2024-25 as a Top 25 team?

McNeese rolled through the Southland this season, going 17-1 and winning the league by three games en route to a 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Get ready for more of the same next season.

Syracuse guard Quadir Copeland committed to McNeese on Wednesday. The 6-6 sophomore averaged 9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.8 apg in a role that largely featured him coming off the bench. He’ll likely get more playing time at McNeese, which was part of why he left Syracuse.

“This will be an opportunity to showcase my talent and play for a coach that believes in me and my abilities,” he told ZAGSBLOG. “That’s the most important thing. And I will bring energy, excitement, and love.”

He’ll certainly bring talent.

Copeland joins 2024 transfers Sincere Parker (Saint Louis), Brandon Murray (Ole Miss) and Joe Charles (Lafayette) as 4-star transfers (per evanmiya.com) headed to McNeese. (They also have ASU forward Bryant Selebangue coming in.)

It’s a fearsome roster that coach Will Wade will have in just his second season. Given the Cowboys already return three starters in Christian Shumate, Javohn Garcia and DJ Richards, and it seems unlikely they’ll lose a conference game.

Here’s how barttorvik sees it.

Two questions for next year:

• Will McNeese earn enough attention off its 30-4 season and transfer haul to earn preseason Top 25 votes? Voters won’t go so crazy to actually slot them in at No. 25 will they?

• What’s the non-conference schedule? The Cowboys played four non-D-I opponents this season, along with games against Michigan, VCU and UAB. There’s no upside to playing them if you’re a power conference team, which could be the one hinderance to McNeese earning an at-large bid if it somehow stumbles in the Southland tourney.

2. Riley Kugel’s back in the portal

Florida guard Riley Kugel reportedly isn’t going to Kansas after all.

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