LAKE CHARLES, La. (Interstat) — The top-seeded McNeese State Cowboys, one of the nation’s winningest teams, will face a surging Texas-Rio Grande Valley squad in a highly anticipated rematch for the Southland Conference men’s basketball championship Tuesday night. The Cowboys (26-5), who have lost just once since early February, enter the tournament final at the Legacy Center as heavy favorites on their home floor. They are led by standout guard Larry Johnson, who averaged 20 points in two regular-season meetings against UTRGV and is coming off a 25-point performance against Nicholls State on March 2. Standing in their way are the fourth-seeded Vaqueros (19-13), who have won five of their last six games, including an 86-68 rout of Nicholls State in the tournament semifinals Monday. UTRGV is powered by guard Koree Cotton, who scored 18 points with five assists in that victory. Over his last seven games, Cotton is averaging 15.6 points. The teams split their regular-season series, each winning on their home court. UTRGV edged McNeese State 79-76 on Jan. 17 in Edinburg, but the Cowboys answered with a 75-68 victory in Lake Charles on Feb. 23. In that most recent matchup, Johnson scored 20 points for McNeese State while Cotton was held to 10 points for the Vaqueros. McNeese State’s path to the final was more direct, having earned a double-bye into the semifinals. Their last action was a week ago, a 75-65 road win at Nicholls State where Johnson and Tyshawn Archie (18 points, five assists) led the way. UTRGV arrives with momentum, having played just 24 hours earlier. In their semifinal win, Filip Brankovic added 21 points and Jaylen Washington had 15 points and five assists alongside Cotton. The championship game pits McNeese State’s formidable season-long consistency against UTRGV’s recent hot streak, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday.