LSU Tigers Listed As No. 11 Seed On Early NCAA Tournament Projections

The LSU Tigers believe they have a very talented team in Will Wade's first year, but it's going to take some convincing for everyone else to view them as a top team. The respect is starting to come in on some late-season projections, though.

In Joe Lunardi's popular ESPN Men's Bracketology projections for the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers slid up to a No. 11 seed after their 3-0 start. Being an 11-seed would mean they would have a play-in game against the Utah State Aggies.

It is technically easier than ever to make the tournament now that 76 teams make it, with 24 teams competing in the Opening Round, which is where LSU would be. The goal will be to be a higher seed, of course, but any return to March would be a massive boost for the program.

The only time since the 2020/2021 season that Wade hasn't made the tournament was the year he was away from coaching. He hasn't had a ton of tournament success since then, but it's still impressive to make it there. The goal is to keep his current streak of three straight appearances going.

Point guard Donovan Dent is listed as their impact player, which is a fair assessment. His scoring output isn't as high as it was a couple of years ago, but he has been the engine that makes this offense work. Through three games, he's averaging 13.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 3.3 steals.

Dent is tied for No. 5 in the country in assists per game and No. 12 in steals. He holds the sole SEC lead for assists, while he and teammate Saliou Niang are tied for steals.

With him on the floor, the offense levels up. He is surrounded by talented bigs, a couple of shooters and a couple of fantastic athletes. He'll have assist opportunities all season long.

The Tigers have a great opportunity to prove that they should be higher on this list this weekend against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are the No. 14 team in the country. For context, the Bulldogs are actually a No. 3 seed on Lunardi's Bracketology. This is going to be a major prove-it game for LSU.

A loss won't end the Tiger's season, as no one really expects them to win. They just need to prove they can compete. At worst, a bad loss would be a major learning opportunity for the team as well.