The LSU men’s basketball team tipped off its season with an exhibition game against the University of Central Florida. The 2026-27 season will see a new head coach Matt McMahon was fired in March 2026. He failed to turn around the Tigers’ losing seasons. The coach finished his tenure at LSU with an overall record of 45-42 and only one winning season. He was replaced by Will Wade. Wade coached the team from 2017-2022 before being replaced by McMahon.
Photo Cred: SEC
Wade had been fired from LSU in 2022 due to a large-scale investigation into NCAA basketball in 2019. It was over impermissible payments to high school recruits. However, LSU has welcomed him back with open arms. The illegal actions he performed were made legal in the groundbreaking NIL case of NCAA v. Alston. The case allowed athletes to receive NIL benefits. It caused a domino effect that has now allowed colleges to pay student-athletes.
His previous actions were no longer an issue. LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry found no reason not to offer him his position back. However, Will Wade did not come without his controversies. Most notably, he recruited former professional or semi-professional players. They included RJ Luis, who signed with an NBA team and played in the G League. He also recruited three other players who were known to have played in the EuroLeague.
This sparked a lot of controversy in the NCAA and among men’s college basketball head coaches. Inevitably, none of these players were granted eligibility, and none played in the exhibition against UCF. For months, the roster maintained only four players. While Wade had claimed the roster had 13 men in September, the public roster showed only four players, raising speculation that their eligibility was unclear. The UCF game ended in the fashion that Will Wade often brings, with a thriller at the end.
Two last-second scores by Donovan Dent and Mo Dioubate allowed LSU to win and put the game out of reach for UCF. Wade has relied very heavily on his starters, with five players playing practically the whole game. Jordan Bender was the only player to come off the bench, totaling only 10 minutes. His reliance on these players may prove to do LSU more harm than good, especially when the season starts and they begin facing their SEC opponents.
Photo Cred: 247SPorts
Without the ability to rest, Wade might just run these players into the ground. In both of their exhibition games so far, LSU has seen close scores, winning by one score against McNeese and two against UCF. Next Saturday, LSU travels to Florida State University for its last exhibition game. The season opener is around the corner on November 3, when LSU will play its extension school, LSU New Orleans, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
