The LSU Tigers did well last year under first-year head coach Will Wade and will look to build upon last year’s start. The team did not make the NCAA Tournament but did make the NIT Tournament after finishing 9th in a surprisingly stacked SEC. The team finished 8-10 in conference and 18-15 overall.
The Tigers are an extremely young team heading into 2018 and the Will Wade era is truly set to begin in his second year. Sophomore Tremont Waters will have to lead at a young age paired with several freshmen in the lineup. The Tigers if they gel could be a deadly force in the SEC.
Congrats to LSU Basketball’s Tremont Waters who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team announced this morning.https://t.co/NELGVQ8mlX pic.twitter.com/JTaIAAvxt4
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) March 6, 2018
Key Returners
- Tremont Waters- PG
- Skylar Mays- G
Tremont Waters led the Tigers last year in points, assists, and steals per game as a freshman. Waters will need to take a major step up and truly take the team as his own in his sophomore season. Waters will likely be the go-to guy this year at LSU but will need to shoot the ball at a better mark in his second year. Skylar Mays returns to the Tigers after being the third leading scorer last year from the guard position. The Tigers do not have a lot of talented and experienced depth this year, but keeping Waters and Mays will help. Mays will be entering his third year and Will Wade will be looking for an uptake in production.
Key Losses
- Duop Reath
- Aaron Epps
The Tigers may not be losing star-studded names, but they have lost leaders and solid producers from their lineup this year. The Tigers have two seniors that graduated and will no longer have their leadership on the team. Duop Reath finished second in points per game as well as rebounds per game. Reath led the team in blocks per game, had the best field goal percentage, and three-point percentage on the team. Aaron Epps led the team in rebounds per game, and also was the team’s fourth-leading scorer. The Tigers will need someone to produce points, rebounds, and defense in the upcoming season with these two moving on from college basketball.
Key Newcomers
- Nazreon Reid
- Emmitt Williams
- Ja’Vonte Smart
- Darius Days
- Kavell Bigby-Williams
Will Wade has brought in an insanely talented recruiting class. This may be the best class that has ever come to the LSU Tigers. Nazreon Reid headlines the impressive class that ranks second in the SEC and fourth in all of college basketball. Reid and Emmitt Williams are both five-star forwards who should provide immediate depth for the Tigers who desperately need replacements on the wing and in the paint. Ja’Vonte Smart is a talented four-star guard from Baton Rouge who should pair nicely beside Tremont Waters in the starting lineup.
Darius Days will bring insane amounts of depth to the Tigers frontcourt as a highly touted four-star forward. The amount of young talent that the Tigers are bringing in is ridiculous and could prove a nightmare for SEC teams. The Tigers were already deep in the paint, but adding Oregon big man transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams makes the team deep and experienced. The upperclassman can provide much-needed leadership and experience at LSU.
Projected Starting Five
- Tremont Waters
- Ja’Vonte Smart
- Emmitt Williams
- Nazreon Reid
- Kavell Bigby-Williams
LSU Tigers Season Outlook
The LSU Tigers are extremely young, but they absolutely have the talent and ability to be a real threat in a once again packed SEC. Tremont Waters will have plenty of targets to get assists and should also see his scoring increase in his second year.
The SEC is going to be hard to navigate again for the Tigers, but they are far more equipped to handle it this year compared to last year. LSU is lacking in real talented experience which could cost them the deeper they get into the season. LSU should have a great offense to go with a scary lockdown defense. Oregon transfer Kavell Bigby- Williams will need to provide the leadership and upperclassmen presence for the Tigers this year.
The Tigers have a weak looking non-conference schedule and really any loss in non-conference could be viewed as a bad loss by the NCAA Tournament Committee. LSU’s toughest games come at Houston at against Saint Mary’s at a neutral site. The Tigers can not afford to lose either game and really can’t pick up a great quality win until SEC play starts.
Record Prediction: 21-8 (11-7)
The SEC will have another packed year, but it is hard to imagine they put in the same number of teams that they put in last year. LSU will be much improved from last year and should easily make the NCAA Tournament this year. The Tigers should be one of the teams that compete for the top four spots in the SEC and could potentially make a run at the SEC regular season championship.
Years past have seen the LSU Tigers underwhelm their fans despite having star-studded rosters and amazing five-star talents. Things feel different coming into the year with a fresh face in Will Wade. The second-year head coach seems to be turning the Tigers around from their underachieving woes. The Tigers need to take advantage when they play teams like Kentucky, Auburn, and Tennessee.
