2017–18 LSU Tigers basketball team

The 2017–18 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Will Wade, in his first season at LSU. They played their home games at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC tournament to Mississippi State. The Tigers received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Louisiana before losing to Utah in the second round.

2017–18 LSU Tigers basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–15 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPete Maravich Assembly Center
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 5   .722 26 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 7   .611 21 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky 10 8   .556 26 11   .703
Missouri 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Arkansas 10 8   .556 23 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 9   .500 25 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 22 13   .629
Alabama 8 10   .444 20 16   .556
LSU 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
South Carolina 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 12   .333 12 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
2018 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Tigers finished the 2016–17 season 10–21, 2–16 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 13th place. They lost in the First Round of the SEC tournament to Mississippi State.[1]

On March 10, head coach Johnny Jones was fired.[2] He finished at LSU with a five-year record of 90–72. On March 20, LSU hired VCU head coach Will Wade as their next head coach.[3]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Antonio Blakeney 2 G 6'4" 197 Sophomore Sarasota, FL Declared for 2017 NBA draft
Elbert Robinson III 3 C 7'1" 290 Junior Garland, TX Left the team for personal reasons
Kieran Hayward 5 G 6'4" 195 Freshman Sydney, Australia Transferred to Massachusetts
Branden Jenkins 10 G 6'4" 180 Junior Maywood, IL Graduate transferred to Texas Wesleyan
Jalyn Patterson 11 G 6'1" 191 Junior Atlanta, GA Left the team for personal reasons
Brian Bridgewater 20 F 6'5" 282 Senior Baton Rouge, LA Graduated
Craig Victor II 32 F 6'9" 235 Junior New Orleans, LA Dismissed from the team due to violation of team rules/2017 NBA draft[4]
Brandon Eddlestone 45 F 6'8" 248 Senior Slidell, LA Walk-on; graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Daryl Edwards 5 G 6'4" 170 Junior Fresno, CA Junior college transferred to Northwest Florida State College
Kavell Bigby-Williams 11 F 6'11" 230 Senior London, England Transferred from Oregon. Under NCAA transfer rules, Bigby-Williams will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Jeremy Combs 13 F 6'7" 215 Senior Dallas, TX Transferred from North Texas. Will eligible to play since Combs graduated from North Texas.
Randy Onwausor 14 G 6'3" 210 RS Senior Inglewood, CA Transferred from Southern Utah. Will eligible to play since Onwausor graduated from Southern Utah.

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tremont Waters
#8 PG
New Haven, CT Notre Dame High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jun 5, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Galen Alexander
SF
Lafayette, LA Lafayette Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jul 17, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Mayan Kiir
#20 PF
Bradenton, FL Victory Rock Prep 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Brandon Rachal
#29 SF
Natchitoches, LA Natchitoches Central High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oct 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "LSU 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "2017 LSU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.

2018 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Javonte Smart
PG
Baton Rouge, LA Scotlandville Magnet High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 30, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Naz Reid
PF
Asbury Park, NJ Roselle Catholic High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 12, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Darius Days
PF
Williston, FL The Rock School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Oct 20, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Emmitt Williams
PF
Lehigh Acres, FL Oak Ridge High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jan 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2017–18 LSU Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Brandon Sampson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Jr Madison Preparatory Academy Baton Rouge, Louisiana
F 1 Duop Reath 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Sr Lee College Perth, Australia
G 2 Brandon Rachal 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Natchitoches Central High School Natchitoches, Louisiana
G 3 Tremont Waters 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Fr Notre Dame High School New Haven, Connecticut
G 4 Skylar Mays 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Findlay Prep Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G 5 Daryl Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Northwest Florida State Fresno, California
F 10 Galen Alexander 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Lafayette Christian Academy Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
F 11 Kavell Bigby-Williams (I)   6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Oregon London, England
G 12 Marshall Graves (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Louisiana State University Laboratory School Ponchatoula, Louisiana
F 13 Jeremy Combs 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr North Texas Dallas, Texas
G 14 Randy Onwausor 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Southern Utah Inglewood, California
G 15 Reed Vial (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Jr Parkview Baptist High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana
F 21 Aaron Epps 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Sr Tioga High School Ball, Louisiana
F 35 Mayan Kiir 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Fr Victory Rock Prep Bradenton, Florida
F 44 Wayde Sims 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 217 lb (98 kg) So Louisiana State University Laboratory School Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 31, 2017*
7:30 pm
at Tulane
Hurricane relief charity game
L 74–84 
 21  Reath   13  Reath   3  Sims  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,503)
New Orleans, LA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Alcorn State W 99–59  1–0
 27  Waters   6  Rachal   6  Waters  Maravich Center (11,856)
Baton Rouge, LA
Nov 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Samford W 105–86  2–0
 20  Mays, Sampson   8  Sampson   8  Waters  Maravich Center (7,731)
Baton Rouge, LA
Nov 20, 2017*
10:30 pm, ESPNU
vs. Michigan
Maui Invitational quarterfinals
W 77–75  3–0
 21  Waters   5  Mays, Reath   4  Rachal, Waters  Lahaina Civic Center (N/A)
Maui, HI
Nov 21, 2017*
9:30 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 13 Notre Dame
Maui Invitational semifinals
L 53–92  3–1
 14  Reath   6  Reath   4  Onwuasor  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Nov 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Marquette
Maui Invitational 3rd place game
L 84–94  3–2
 39  Waters   7  Sims   4  Waters  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
UT Martin W 84–60  4–2
 18  Mays   9  Reath   10  Waters  Maravich Center (7,396)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 10, 2017*
4:00 pm, SECN+
UNC Wilmington W 97–84  5–2
 30  Reath   9  Waters   10  Waters  Maravich Center (7,812)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN
Houston W 80–77  6–2
 26  Epps   16  Epps   6  Waters  Maravich Center (8,449)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 16, 2017*
12:00 pm, SECN
Stephen F. Austin L 82–83  6–3
 19  Waters   10  Epps   6  Mays  Maravich Center (9,695)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Sam Houston State W 80–58  7–3
 13  Mays, Onwuasor   10  Sims   5  Mays  Maravich Center (8,151)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
North Florida W 104–52  8–3
 15  Reath, Waters   9  Epps   10  Waters  Maravich Center (8,212)
Baton Rouge, LA
Dec 28, 2017*
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at Memphis W 71–61  9–3
 18  Waters   7  Sims   8  Waters  FedEx Forum (9,468)
Memphis, TN
SEC regular season
Jan 3, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
No. 17 Kentucky L 71–74  9–4
(0–1)
 24  Reath   11  Waters   4  Sampson  Maravich Center (11,952)
Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 6, 2018
1:05 pm, SECN
at No. 11 Texas A&M W 69–68  10–4
(1–1)
 21  Waters   10  Reath   6  Mays  Reed Arena (10,845)
College Station, TX
Jan 10, 2018
8:00 pm, SECN
at Arkansas W 75–54  11–4
(2–1)
 13  Epps   11  Epps   8  Waters  Bud Walton Arena (15,199)
Fayetteville, AR
Jan 13, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
Alabama L 66–74  11–5
(2–2)
 19  Waters   4  Epps, Rachal, Onwuasor   5  Waters  Maravich Center (13,600)
Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 16, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPNU
Georgia L 60–61  11–6
(2–3)
 17  Sampson   7  Mays   5  Waters  Maravich Center (13,215)
Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 20, 2018
12:00 pm, SECN
at Vanderbilt L 71–77  11–7
(2–4)
 31  Reath   13  Reath   4  Waters  Memorial Gymnasium (8,760)
Nashville, TN
Jan 23, 2018
5:30 pm, ESPNU
Texas A&M W 77–65  12–7
(3–4)
 21  Reath   8  Reath   9  Waters  Maravich Center (8,528)
Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 27, 2018
5:00 pm, SECN
at No. 19 Auburn L 70–95  12–8
(3–5)
 18  Reath   4  Mays   5  Mays  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
Jan 31, 2018
5:30 pm, SECN
at No. 18 Tennessee L 61–84  12–9
(3–6)
 21  Reath   7  Epps   3  Onwuasor, Waters  Thompson–Boling Arena (13,425)
Knoxville, TN
Feb 3, 2018
2:30 pm, SECN
Arkansas W 94–86  13–9
(4–6)
 27  Waters   6  Sims   11  Waters  Maravich Center (9,272)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 7, 2018
5:30 pm, SECN
at Florida L 64–73  13–10
(4–7)
 17  Sampson   7  Waters   6  Waters  O'Connell Center (9,833)
Gainesville, FL
Feb 10, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNU
Ole Miss W 82–66  14–10
(5–7)
 26  Reath   9  Epps   8  Waters  Maravich Center (8,545)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 13, 2018
8:000 pm, ESPNU
at Alabama L 65–80  14–11
(5–8)
 21  Edwards   9  Mays   4  Waters  Coleman Coliseum (11,154)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 17, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN2
Missouri W 64–63  15–11
(6–8)
 21  Waters   9  Epps   4  Mays, Waters  Maravich Center (9,635)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 20, 2018
8:00 pm, SECN
Vanderbilt W 88–78  16–11
(7–8)
 28  Waters   8  Epps   9  Waters  Maravich Center (7,517)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 24, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPNU
at Georgia L 82–93  16–12
(7–9)
 25  Waters   6  Sampson   3  Waters  Stegeman Coliseum (9,518)
Athens, GA
Feb 28, 2018
5:30 pm, SECN
at South Carolina L 74–83 OT 16–13
(7–10)
 19  Waters   13  Rachal   6  Mays  Colonial Life Arena (11,269)
Columbia, SC
Mar 3, 2018
12:00 pm, SECN
Mississippi State W 78–57  17–13
(8–10)
 16  Epps, Sampson   8  Reath   10  Waters  Maravich Center (9,067)
Baton Rouge, LA
SEC Tournament
Mar 8, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN
(10) vs. (7) Mississippi State
Second Round
L 77–80  17–14
 28  Waters   9  Rachal   6  Waters  Scottrade Center (11,752)
St. Louis, MO
NIT
Mar 14, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN3
(3) (6) Louisiana
First Round – Saint Mary's Bracket
W 84–76  18–14
 26  Reath   11  Reath   7  Waters  Maravich Center (6,846)
Baton Rouge, LA
Mar 19, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPNU
(3) at (2) Utah
Second Round – Saint Mary's Bracket
L 71–95  18–15
 19  Waters   6  Epps   8  Waters  Jon M. Huntsman Center (5,528)
Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[5]

References

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