LSU will look to kick off the Will Wade era off in style as it hosts Alcorn State on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
After compiling 51 wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances at VCU, Wade will try to turn around a Tiger program that has underachieved in recent years, with the Tigers suffering a 15-game losing streak in SEC play last season.
The good news is that Wade is already impressing on the recruiting trail and has enough talent in place this season to surprise some people.
The bad news is that in a highly-competitive SEC, it may take a little time for LSU to move its way back up the standings.
Players to Watch
Duop Reath (LSU)
Reath has earning tremendous praise this offseason for his continued development.
The 6-11 senior is LSU’s top returning scorer and rebounder, and given his overall skill, really has an opportunity to thrive in Wade’s system.
Reath has 21 points and 13 rebounds in the team’s exhibition loss to Tulane, and he should pick right up where he left off and continue to build momentum going forward as the team’s top contributor.
Tremont Waters (LSU)
While Reath was impressive against Tulane, the talented freshman point guard struggled in his first game in Baton Rouge.
Waters didn’t score and had no assists in 13 minutes of action, which was surprising considering how big of a role that he’s expected to play this season.
However, it was one exhibition game (and word is that he played very well in the recent scrimmage against Texas), and Wade has spoke highly of Waters’ tremendous court vision this offseason and how that’ll help him run the offense effectively.
This game will be a good measure of where Waters stands in terms of potentially being one of the best freshman guards in the SEC this year.
Reginal Johnson (Alcorn State)
The 6-5, 205-pound forward averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season.
What’s most impressive about last year’s numbers was the fact that he shot 52.7 percent from the floor, and that repeating that type of percentage this season will give the Braves a chance to win a lot of games.
Combine that with his earning honors as the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, and he could cause some issues inside for the Tigers.
How LSU Can Win
The trademark of Wade’s ‘havoc’ style at VCU was forcing turnovers, and thus, turning defense into offense.
Alcorn State finished 275th in the country last season with 14.1 turnovers per game, so LSU can certainly take advantage of that.
Another key will be keeping the Braves off the offensive glass, as they ranked 53rd nationally in grabbing 12 offensive rebounds per game last year.
How Alcorn State Can Win
Attacking the glass and being physical are two approaches that’ll give the Braves a shot at winning.
The Tigers are still in transition as Wade attempts to build the necessary chemistry needed on both ends of the floor, so consistency may still be a problem in the early going.
That opens the door for Alcorn State to try to outwork and outmuscle LSU in hopes of keeping the game close down the stretch, and then letting Johnson and senior guard A.J. Mosby (10.4 ppg in ’16-17) take over from there.
And if the Braves can force Reath and company to settle for jump shots – LSU went 4-of-24 from 3-point land against Tulane and only shot 36.4 percent from the floor – that could go a long way toward pulling off an upset.
Game Details
Date: November 10
Time: 8 p.m. EST
TV: SEC Network+
Who wins on November 10?
- Alcorn State (71%, 17 Votes)
- LSU (29%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 24
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