McNeese Cowboys vs North Texas Mean Green Prediction, 11/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: McNeese Cowboys vs North Texas Mean Green

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Location: The Super Pit in Denton, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Super Pit is the site where the North Texas Mean Green (19-14 last year) will take on the McNeese Cowboys (28-6 last season) on Thursday.

The McNeese Cowboys played UAB and earned the victory with a final of 99-78 in their last contest. McNeese finished the game with a 55.1% FG percentage (38 out of 69) and buried 12 out of their 27 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cowboys converted 11 of 15 shots for a percentage of 73.3%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 32 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 20 dimes for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 10 steals. With respect to the defense, McNeese allowed 43.1% from the field on 22 out of 51 shooting. UAB doled out 13 dimes and had 5 steals in this matchup. Additionally, UAB pulled down 24 boards (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UAB walked away from this one shooting 86.7% when shooting free throws by converting 26 of their 30 attempts. They also converted 8 of their 21 shots from beyond the perimeter. In reference to personal fouls, the Cowboys left the arena with 21 and UAB finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Larry Johnson is one guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He ended up finishing with 31 points on 13 out of 21 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins and pulled down 5 boards. He shot 61.9% from the floor and totaled 4 assists.

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McNeese will enter this contest after finishing with a win-loss record of 28-6 last season. They turned the ball over 9.5 times per contest and as a unit committed 18.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, McNeese pulled down 35.2 rebounds per contest and accounted for 478 assists last year, which ranked 139th in the country in terms of passing. The Cowboys shot 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc (229 of 715) and 75.0% from the free throw line. They had an average of 79.7 points per contest (85th in college) while shooting 46.4% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Cowboys were able to force their opponents into 16.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.5 fouls. They were ranked 112th in college in giving up assists with 414 conceded over the course of last year. The Cowboys defensively gave up a shooting percentage of 41.0% (734 of 1,792) and they conceded 33.9 rebounds per game as a group. They gave up 32.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they were 28th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (66.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the North Texas Mean Green went home victorious with a score of 122-50 against Southwestern Christian. The Mean Green were able to corral 36 defensive rebounds and 20 offensive boards totaling 56 for the matchup. They gave up possession 11 times, while getting 16 steals for this contest. Southwestern Christian committed 24 personal fouls for this game which got the Mean Green to the free throw line for a total of 36 attempts. They were able to knock down 24 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Concerning three-point attempts, North Texas converted 10 out of 21 tries (47.6%). Overall, the Mean Green ended up going 44 out of 77 from the floor which had them sitting at 57.1%. The Mean Green permitted Southwestern Christian to bury 20 of their 65 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 30.8% for the matchup. They shot 23.7% from downtown via 9 out of 38 and walked away from this one shooting 1 of 7 at the free throw line (14.3%). With respect to cleaning the glass, North Texas allowed Southwestern Christian to collect 19 in total (5 on the offensive glass).

Aeneas Alexander pitched in for the Mean Green in this matchup. He made 6 of 11 for the contest for a rate of 54.5%, and added 9 rebounds. He recorded 22 points in his 20 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist.

North Texas had a win-loss mark of 19-14 last season. The Mean Green committed 19.5 personal fouls per game and they shot 69.3% from the charity stripe. They assisted teammates 12.6 times per game (279th in the nation) and they lost possession by turning the ball over 11.4 times per game. North Texas scored 2,341 pts last season (70.9 per contest) and they grabbed 35.2 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Mean Green shot 42.5% from the floor, which ranked them 314th in college.

The North Texas defense conceded 30.6% on three-point shots (206 of 673) and their opposition knocked down 71.0% of their free throw attempts. They relinquished 14.9 dimes and 35.2 rebounds every game, ranking them 219th and 236th in the country. The Mean Green on defense were ranked 32nd in college hoops in PPG given up with 67.4. They were able to force 15.1 TO's per game and allowed teams to shoot 42.2% from the field (67th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take McNeese

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