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LSU men's basketball coach Will Wade over question marks
LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade does not seem particularly worried about the eligibility issues that loom over his team less than a month before the start of the season. However, it was very hard to ignore them based on the box score we were treated to after the Tigers narrowly defeated his former squad in an exhibition game.
Many college basketball teams have experienced some serious turnover between seasons due to the rise of NIL and the transfer portal, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many that experience the kind of facelift LSU underwent after Will Wade was hired to kick off his second stint in Baton Rouge ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
None of the players who played on the team that posted a 15-17 record during Matt McMahon’s fourth and final season are currently listed on this year’s roster—one that currently lists only four official members as Wade continues to navigate the eligibility issues stemming from his decision to go overhaul things by tapping a slew of guys who’ve either previously signed with an NBA franchise or an international pro team.
The head coach downplayed concerns about the final roster a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t do much to assuage fans who are worried about depth during the team’s first exhibition game.
Will Wade essentially relied on five players to beat McNeese in a scrimmage
Wade spent two seasons at McNeese starting in 2023 while leading them to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and on Thursday night, he headed back to his old stomping grounds for an exhibition tilt at Townsley Law Arena.
The skipper made it pretty clear he wasn’t particularly worried about the final score of the contest in the days leading up to it, and said he was planning on playing up to eight guys with a roster that included three walk-ons.
That first number actually ended up being seven, although it was effectively six when you consider freshman (and IMG Academy product) Strake Pearson only played three minutes and never attempted a shot in a game where the five players who started were also the only ones to score in LSU’s 63-60 victory.
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Wade has plenty of time to get his house in order before the Tigers officially kick off the season against LSU New Orleans on November 3rd, but that’s a somewhat inauspicious start to the preseason.