A full roster is finally in place for LSU, and Will Wade gets to open his first season back in Baton Rouge with a 14-man group after a stretch of eligibility news reshaped the picture.
The Tigers didn’t land every target they chased - RJ Luis and Marcus Santos both got away - but the roster now has enough depth to move forward with a clear structure. LSU’s lineup is split across guards, forwards and a big, physical center group, and the mix gives Wade plenty of different ways to build lineups.
The backcourt is the strength of the roster on paper. LSU lists Luke Stansbury, Abdi Bashir Jr., Austin Nunez, Donovan Dent, Bradley Fife, Skyy Clark and Divine Ugochukwu among its guards.
Clark and Dent should be a natural fit together after sharing the UCLA backcourt last season, and that pairing is expected to help LSU settle into an offensive rhythm. Dent nearly put up a triple double in the Tigers’ most recent exhibition, and last season he averaged 13.4 points, 7.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Clark brought 11.5 points per game and shot 42.7% from three on 4.8 attempts per game.
Bashir is the other guard who jumps off the page because of his shooting volume. He hit 44.4% from three on 8.4 attempts per game last season, and he has already been letting it fly from deep in exhibition action. LSU will want that kind of spacing as the offense takes shape.
On the wing, the Tigers have Jordan Bender, Saliou Niang and Mo Dioubate. The group isn’t especially deep, and the loss of Luis leaves that part of the roster thinner than LSU probably wanted.
Still, Niang and Dioubate give the Tigers two long, disruptive defenders who can make life difficult for opponents. Bender’s role figures to shrink with the added depth, but he is positioned to be the first bench option if the Tigers need another body on the wing.
Dioubate also brings something the others do not: experience against SEC competition. He started his career with Alabama and Kentucky. Niang, meanwhile, is expected to be one of the top wings in the conference.
The front line is crowded and sizeable. LSU’s centers are Brice Dessert, Gilad Levy, Strake Pearson and Michael Ruzic.
Ruzic has stood out in exhibition play, but the added depth should ease the burden on him. The size here is obvious: Ruzic is 7-foot, Dessert is 6-11 and Levy stands 7-foot-3.
LSU is expected to lean heavily on that trio, and both Ruzic and Dessert are among the most anticipated international prospects in college basketball this season.
In Other News...
LSU's SEC Fight Just Raised A New Problem For Will Wade
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has jumped into LSUs ongoing fight with the SEC, filing a motion that seeks to knock out the conferences federal lawsuit against LSU officials. Murrill dismissed the SECs latest claims as a Hail Mary, a sign that the case, which began with allegations aimed at LSU football officials over recruiting ex-pro athletes, has now widened into a much messier battle for the university.
The expansion into mens basketball only adds to the pressure around Will Wades program, especially with the SEC now pressing beyond the original football-related dispute. Wade has already said he plans to follow conference rules that bar athletes who previously signed professional contracts from being rostered, but the conferences broader approach means LSU is now dealing with a legal fight that could reach deeper into how it handles basketball recruiting, too. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Roster Picture Just Changed With One Big Eligibility Twist
LSUs roster picture got a lot clearer with a wave of eligibility updates that should help settle some of the uncertainty around the mens basketball rotation. Saliou Niang, Brice Dessert, Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent have all been ruled eligible to play, giving the Tigers a stronger sense of what their lineup and depth chart can look like as the season approaches. Niang brings the promise of an athletic upside that has already made him stand out as an NBA draft pick, while Dessert is expected to add help in the frontcourt.
Dent and Clark, who were teammates at UCLA, now look set to be part of LSUs backcourt mix, an encouraging development for a team trying to build continuity in the right places. Even so, not every update was as clean, and one players status came with a less positive note, leaving at least one part of the roster situation still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Should Keep An Eye On Bryce Underwood's Michigan Drama
Bryce Underwoods situation at Michigan has quickly become one of the more closely watched quarterback storylines in the country, and LSU fans have a natural reason to pay attention. The freshman has been benched, with Tommy Carr expected to take over as the starter in the upcoming game, which has only added to the uncertainty around Underwoods place in Ann Arbor and where his career might be headed next.
Underwood has not entered the transfer portal, but the chatter around his future is already building, and LSU is among the programs being mentioned as a possible landing spot if he chooses to move on. Miami, Texas Tech, Georgia and Kentucky are also in the mix, which means this could become a national recruiting and roster watch for the Tigers if the situation keeps trending in this direction. [Read more 🡒]