Will Wade’s LSU Tigers Roster Looks Better in Game Two, But Needs Reinforcements

Will Wade and the LSU Tigers returned to the court for another exhibition on Wednesday night, taking on the UCF Golden Knights, picking up an 85-81 win in front of a home crowd.

Wade had hoped to have more players for this game, but the Tigers actually played one less in this one as only six players saw the court. It was the same five starters, along with freshman Jordan Bender getting 10 minutes off the bench.

While certainly not sustainable to have four players on the court for at least 38 minutes, it was a more promising performance from their players. At least on offense.

Abdi Bashir was added for his shooting, which made the first game a little bit jarring when he shot 1-of-10 from deep against the McNeese St. Cowboys. It wasn’t worth worrying then, given his track record, and he immediately bounced back.

Bashir played 40 minutes in this game, led LSU in scoring with 26 points and shot 6-of-12 from three. He also added two rebounds, an assist and two steals. His offensive output is going to be crucial to any success this team wants to have this year, so it’s good to see him back into a rhythm.

Donovan Dent was probably the MVP of the game, though, as he finished just a rebound shy of a triple-double. Dent had 21 points in total with nine boards, 11 assists, three steals and three blocks. He was all over the place.

Michael Ruzic added 15, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Mo Dioubate was less efficient on offense, but remains a defensive asset and still put up 15 points and seven boards.

The players that the Tigers have active right now are clearly talented, but it feels like it might be all for naught. If LSU can’t cross the finish line with a couple of these other players, it’ll be almost impossible for them to survive this season.

The Tigers’ online roster still shows just 10 total players, but the good news is that Wade felt confident enough to add a few more names to the pregame roster shared with media (H/T Tripp Buhler).

Skyy Clark, Brice Dessert and Saliou Niang were all listed, though none played. Dessert and Niang were new names added after being left off last time despite traveling with the team. That should show where Wade feels about their chances of playing this season. Those three would at least give LSU an 8-man rotation. A risky approach, but one that might be forced on the Tigers.