LSU’s unbeaten start gets a real stress test Saturday afternoon in Spokane, where the Tigers meet No. 14 Gonzaga in the Bad Boy Mowers Series at Numerica Veterans Arena.
Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Central, and the game will air on USA Network.
The Tigers have rolled to a 3-0 start under returning head coach Will Wade, blowing past LSU New Orleans, Texas Southern and Louisiana Tech by at least 40 points apiece. That run has come with little resistance, but this trip marks a different kind of assignment: LSU’s first game away from Baton Rouge and its toughest opponent yet.
The setting may not be Gonzaga’s regular home floor, but the Bulldogs should still have the edge where it counts. A crowd leaning heavily toward Gonzaga is expected inside the 12,000-seat building, and the Bulldogs have won seven straight games there.
Gonzaga comes in at 2-0 after opening with a 78-72 win over Purdue in Las Vegas and then hammering New Mexico State 109-68 last Saturday. That second win was especially lopsided after the Bulldogs forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 36 points. They also took over after halftime, outscoring the Aggies 62-26.
LSU, though, has plenty of offensive balance of its own. Six Tigers have already reached double figures through three games, giving Wade a deep scoring mix that has powered the early blowouts.
Reserve center Michael Ruzic has led the way at 15.7 points per game and 7.3 rebounds. Abdi Bashir, another bench piece, is averaging 14.0 points.
Donovan Dent has added 13.7 points per game and 25 assists, while Mo Dioubate is putting up 12.7 points a night. Saliou Niang has been a double-double machine so far at 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, and Brice Dessert rounds out the group at 10.0 points per game.
Wade has kept things tight with an eight-man rotation, and that group has logged 576 of LSU’s 600 available player-minutes.
One area where the Tigers have been especially dangerous is around the rim. They’ve put up 60, 62 and 40 points in the paint in their three wins, a pace that has them among the nation’s top five teams in that category.
That interior production will be under the microscope against Gonzaga’s size and physicality.
This will be the first meeting between LSU and Gonzaga, though Wade has seen Bulldogs coach Mark Few before. Gonzaga beat Wade’s McNeese State team 86-65 in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Few has also handled SEC teams well over the years, with 20 wins against conference opponents and seven victories in Gonzaga’s last nine games against SEC competition.
LSU arrived in Spokane on Thursday afternoon and spent nearly two hours practicing Friday, including a scouting walkthrough for the Bulldogs.
After three comfortable wins against overmatched opponents, Saturday gives Wade and his staff their first true measuring stick.
The Tigers head back home next week for games against ULM on November 18 and Queens on November 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
In Other News...
Texas Hits Unexpected Travel Snag Right Before LSU Showdown
Texas ran into an unexpected hurdle on the way to Baton Rouge this week, with the Longhorns caught in a nationwide ground stop ordered by the FAA on Nov. 13. The disruption stemmed from air traffic control communications problems affecting facilities across the country, and it put a wrinkle into a normal game-week routine for a team preparing to face LSU.
For the Tigers, it is another reminder that a marquee matchup can be shaped by more than what happens between the lines. Several college football teams were affected by the same travel issue heading into weekend games, and it remains unclear how long the delays will last or whether they will have any impact on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Could Be Headed For Another Power 4 Chance
Brian Kelly is back in the coaching conversation after interviewing for Marylands head coaching job, a reminder that his name still carries weight in Power 4 circles even after his LSU run ended. Since leaving Baton Rouge, Kelly has shifted into an on-air role with CBS Sports, but his rsum and experience keep him in the mix whenever a major program opens up.
At LSU, Kelly never quite delivered the championship push the school expected when it hired him, and he has acknowledged as much in recent comments. He went 34-14 with the Tigers, a solid mark by most standards, but one that fell short of the national-title benchmark LSU had in mind, leaving his next move a notable storyline for a fan base that watched the fit unravel before the results ever matched the ambition. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Biggest Texas Question Still Comes Down To Whit Weeks
Whit Weeks remains the name LSU fans will watch closest as the Tigers get ready for Texas, with the final injury report listing the linebacker as questionable but expected to dress and test his leg during warmups. That keeps the focus on one of LSUs most important defensive pieces heading into a matchup that already carries plenty of weight, while starting right tackle Weston Davis is probable and defensive lineman Gabe Reliford is off the report entirely, a sign he could be back in the mix as well.
The other side of the equation may be just as important, since Texas star edge Colin Simmons is not on the injury report after missing time with a high ankle sprain. For LSU, the question is less about the headline names on paper and more about how much Weeks can actually give them once warmups start, because his availability could shape how the Tigers handle a Longhorns front that appears to be getting healthier at the right time. [Read more 🡒]