Gonzaga Coach Says LSU Tigers' Will Wade Has Built 'Second-Most Talented Roster'

No one around the country really knows what to make of the LSU Tigers in Will Wade's return year, but one thing has become clear: Wade brought in a ton of talent.

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few had some high praise for the Tigers' roster ahead of this weekend's meeting between the two schools. This is what Few had to say about LSU and Wade:

"I've gotten to know Will over the years. We played him in the NCAA tournament a couple of years back. And I think he's done a great job. Every place he goes, he wins. He's adapted to this current state of college basketball as good as any... Guys, I'm telling you, he's got a heck of a roster now. I mean, they might not be as talented as Duke, but it's probably the second-most talented roster maybe in college basketball with who they have. I mean, I don't think everybody knows the level of play that the kids they got from international ranks."

The Tigers do have a rare combination of power conference experience, professional European experience and potential. The ceiling for this team is higher than many give them credit for, but the floor is really unknown. 

They have an experienced backcourt in Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, who played together for the UCLA Bruins. Mo Dioubate is a respected defender with multiple SEC stops. Saliou Niang is a former NBA draft pick. Michael Ruzic is an ultra-skilled seven-footer who looks like he could be one of the best centers in the country. There's even more talent on top of that as well.

There is a reason that, despite LSU's 3-0 start without much struggle, they have yet to receive a vote in the AP Poll. They did have three votes in the Coaches Poll, which is a start. The team wasn't officially put together until just before the year began, and there isn't a ton known about how all the pieces will fit together.

Being able to even compete with the Bulldogs would go a long way towards legitimizing the talent that the Tigers have put together. Gonzaga is the No. 14 team in the country after the latest poll.

Wade knows how tough the challenge they're about to face is. A major step up from who they have been playing against. "We're getting out of the little kiddie pool with our floaties on and going into the deep end," the coach said.

Here's a full quote from Wade about this matchup:

"I think I was the only one dumb enough to go up there and play them. They tried to get everybody else, and we were the only ones dumb enough to sign up for it. It's gonna be one of the biggest challenges of our entire season when you look at our schedule. They're a great team, great program, Hall of Fame coach. They got great personnel. So they got big guys; it'll be the first time we've gone against true bigs."

Sophomore guard Davis Fogle alone is going to be the toughest player they have faced this year. He's a 6-foot-7 guard who can shoot the lights out and does a little bit of everything. Fogle has 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 45.2/36.4/85.7 shooting splits.

Ruzic and fellow LSU center Brice Dessert have had flashes in the frontcourt, but this is going to be night-and-day from what they have been doing. Braden Huff is 6-foot-10, 250 pounds and has 17.5 points per night since the start of last year. Massamba Diop is 7-foot-1, Izan Almansa is another 6-foot-10 big. 

This will be a fun matchup, but it could also be a reality check for the Tigers. Nothing about this game will completely decide the season, but it will be a major turning point no matter what.