By Christa Bell

The Poke Press

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma — A smattering of fans, the Courtside Cowboys, the cheerleaders and the Cowgirl Kickers cheered McNeese’s Bayou Bandits during a 40-minute open practice Wednesday leading up to Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game, giving a hometown feel to the national tournament stage.

The Cowboys are set to play No. 5-seed Vanderbilt at 2:15 in Oklahoma City at the Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both McNeese players and Head Coach Bill Armstrong said the team is here to win.

Although it’s nearly 10 times larger, Oklahoma City is in some ways very similar to Lake Charles, with a history that features cowboys, indigenous people and oil and a resilience born of tragedy. Both cities emphasize great food, art, history, culture and hospitality.

Outside Will Rogers International Airport, a sculpture of four giant arrows spears out of the ground, a symbol of the state’s 34 native tribes. A stylized metal construction inspired by the state’s bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, soars nearly 200 feet over Interstate 40 toward the downtown area.

Murals dot walls in a city USA Today ranked No. 1 in the nation for street art. Stylized flowers and vines in pinks, reds and greens mark walls on an underpass into a former warehouse area turned entertainment district called Bricktown.

Public art celebrates the Oklahoma Land Rush, park spaces invite visitors to linger. Restaurants offer a range from casual burgers and custard shakes to an upscale buffet from the top of the city’s tallest skyscraper. A museum downtown memorializes the 168 people killed in the 1995 explosion that remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Cowboy Club president Allen Abshire said the hospitality is one of his favorite things about cities that host basketball teams and fans from around the country during March Madness.

“It’s always interesting when you walk into a hotel in Oklahoma City and it’s decorated in McNeese colors,” he said. “It’s exciting the way the host communities come together to welcome people. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome.”

Abshire was one of a smattering of fans and alumni attending a gathering at the team’s hotel after Wednesday’s open practice. He and his wife took an early flight from Lake Charles to support their team in the First Round. Thursday’s game will be his third year to see the Cowboys play in the starting round of March Madness.

“The alumni being here shows the impression of what McNeese means to those who have graduated from there,” he said.

Abshire said he hopes students understand how important their support is, not just for the team, but for themselves in networking and connections.

Cowboy fans in the stands at Wednesday’s practice said they were proud to be there, and they hoped students, too, would be proud of the mark McNeese is making on the national stage.

“We’re seeing history here,” said Ryan Navarre, a Lake Charles philanthropist for whom McNeese’s football stadium is named.

Armstrong said having the fans and the band is instrumental in bringing the home court advantage to the national stage, and that helps the team do what’s needed.

“We knew what we had to do, no matter who we were going against,” senior DJ Richards Jr. said at the press conference. “Our goal is to reach our goal, and if someone is in front of our goal, we have to go through it. We just put our faith in God and then we go and we just tie our shoes like everybody else and try to make everything happen.”

Senior guard Javohn Garcia agreed.

“Last year we won one game,” he said. “Like we say every day, why not us? Why not win it all?”