College basketball’s preseason gets rolling Thursday night with three exhibition games that each bring a different hook.
Duke hosts Belmont at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Alabama opens against Furman at Coleman Coliseum, and LSU heads to McNeese for a return trip that puts Will Wade back in Lake Charles. None of the results will count in the standings, but all three games should offer an early read on new faces, lineup ideas and where each team still has work to do.
At Duke, the attention goes beyond the game itself. Belmont coach Evan Bradds once worked on Jon Scheyer’s staff in Durham before taking over his alma mater, adding a little extra texture to the Blue Devils’ first preseason scrimmage.
Duke is also trying to sort through a roster that includes Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, along with returners Caleb Foster, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba II, as it looks to establish an offensive identity after the departures of Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans. Fans can watch on ACC Network Extra at 7 p.m.
ET.
Alabama’s night comes a little later, with Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide getting their first exhibition look at a Furman team that brings recent NCAA Tournament experience to the table. That makes the Paladins a useful early test for a program once again gearing up for a tough SEC season.
The game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, but it will not be televised or streamed.
Live statistics will be available through Alabama’s official athletics website.
The most intriguing storyline may belong to LSU and McNeese. Will Wade returns to McNeese, the school where he previously helped build one of the Southland Conference’s most successful programs, and the Cowboys are still rolling under Bill Armstrong.
McNeese won another Southland Tournament championship last season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. The Cowboys also bring back guard Larry Johnson, who averaged 17.4 points last season.
LSU will get a first look at itself in a game that should say plenty about where the Tigers stand. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.
ET at Townsley Law Arena, with no broadcast available and live stats posted through McNeese’s athletics website.
Thursday is only the start of the preseason slate. Friday, October 9 brings another full batch of games, including North Carolina against USC in Greensboro, Richmond at Virginia and Saint Louis at Nebraska.
For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Duke, Alabama and LSU - three games, three distinct storylines, and an early sign that college basketball is back.
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