LSU’s trip to SEC Basketball Media Day got wiped out before it even started.
Will Wade, along with transfers Abdi Bashir Jr. and Mouhamed Dioubate, will not appear in Birmingham on Tuesday because of “inclement weather,” the SEC said. A ground stop in Baton Rouge was in place Tuesday morning because of fog, and LSU’s plans shifted from in-person appearances to remote sessions.
Wade had been slated to speak second at the event, following Auburn coach Steven Pearl and players Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford. LSU’s women’s side ran into the same issue: coach Kim Mulkey, MiLaysia Fulwiley, ZaKiyah Johnson and Mikaylah Williams also will not attend in person.
The school posted that both programs would still take part remotely on SEC Network, with LSU women set for 9:50 a.m. and LSU men at 10:50 a.m.
The timing comes with LSU already carrying plenty of attention entering the season. The Tigers were picked to finish 14th in Monday’s preseason SEC poll, with only Mississippi State and South Carolina projected below them. LSU also moved on from Matt McMahon after four seasons following a 3-15 SEC finish last year.
Wade’s roster has become a central storyline, too, thanks to multiple players still stuck in eligibility limbo. LSU opened its exhibition schedule last week against McNeese and pulled out a 63-60 win while using only seven players. As of a few days ago, the active roster listed just four players before being updated to show 10.
Among the newer names on the roster are UCLA transfer Donovan Dent, international big man Michael Ružić and freshman Jordan Bender. Still not appearing on the official roster are former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr., UCLA transfer Skyy Clark and international additions Gilad Levy, Brice Dessert and Saliou Niang.
Wade has already spent recent weeks trying to explain the unusual setup. Ahead of the McNeese scrimmage last month, he said: “What we're doing is unconventional,” Wade said last month.
“I understand that. But, 20 years ago, Airbnb was unconventional.
Everybody stayed in a hotel. Fifteen years ago, you rode in a taxi everywhere.
Now you take Uber. So, like, just because it's unconventional doesn't mean it's not going to work.
Now, it may not work. If it doesn't work, write about what an idiot I am.
I understand that. But just because it's unconventional, like I told our guys, we're going to be unconventional.
We're going to be unapologetic about it. It is what it is.
We're going to be unapologetic. This is who we are.
This is what we're doing. This is the path that we charted.
We're going to go down it.”
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Then came a bit of added off-field noise during the Red River Rivalry, when Landry Kiffin drew attention online by showing support for several SEC programs, including LSU, Ole Miss and Texas. The social media criticism that followed was less about football allegiance than the timing, since LSU supporters were already bristling over the loss and looking for something, anything, to settle the conversation back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Faces A Dangerous LSU Temptation Right Now
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For Lane Kiffin, the appeal is obvious because the talent is there and the upside has already shown up in stretches. The challenge now is figuring out whether LSU can turn those promising pieces into something more durable before the seasons biggest games start to define it. The Tigers have enough capability to stay in the conversation, but the margin for error keeps shrinking until the execution catches up with the potential. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Is Back In A Fight That Could Test Its SEC Future
LSU is back in the middle of a legal fight with the SEC, and this one reaches beyond the usual conference squabbling over rules and enforcement. The dispute centers on the eligibility of players added to the Tigers football and mens basketball rosters, with the league raising concerns that those rules may have been stretched, especially in cases involving athletes with professional experience.
The SEC has already gone as far as threatening punishments and even possible removal from the conference, which gives the issue a far different feel than a routine compliance argument. Mens basketball coach Will Wade has added to the scrutiny by signing several international players with professional backgrounds, leaving LSU facing a problem that is as much about its future place in the league as it is about the players now on campus. [Read more 🡒]