Head coach Will Wade's return to the LSU Tigers will officially kick off on Tuesday, as the Tigers take on LSU New Orleans in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

Wade has not appeared as LSU's head coach since March 12, 2022, when he was fired amid an NCAA investigation into illegal payments for athletes.

The coach will look to bring the Tigers an SEC Championship for the first time since 2019, when Wade himself led the team to a conference title.

Projected starting five

Fifth-year senior guard Donavan Dent, a transfer from UCLA, started 34 of the 35 games he played in his senior season, averaging 13.3 points and 7.6 assists per game. Dent started in all three of the Tigers' preseason matchups, scoring in double digits in all three games. He will likely be LSU's starting point guard on Tuesday.

Forward Saliou Niang has not played in a regular-season NCAA game. The 22-year-old junior born in Dakar, Senegal, was drafted with the 58th pick in the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but never played a game in the NBA. He played 27 games in the Lega Basket Serie A, the top professional men's basketball league in Italy. Niang started LSU's final preseason game at Florida State and will likely start against New Orleans.

Senior Mo Dioubate started just 10 games in his junior season with Kentucky, averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Wildcats. The forward started in all three of LSU's preseason games, making him a likely contender for the four spot against LSU New Orleans.

Fifth-year senior Brice Dessert played 40 games for the Euroleague and Basketbol Super Ligi, the top Turkish men’s professional basketball division, during the 2025-2026 season. The 7'0" French center also spent time playing professionally in France. With his eligibility cleared, Dessert will likely be the starting center for the Tigers.

Fifth-year senior Skyy Clark was just cleared to play for the Tigers thanks to the Kentucky Court of Appeals denying the NCAA's emergency request to stay a temporary injunction on Friday. Clark, a transfer from UCLA, will likely start for LSU on Tuesday, despite the fact that his eligibility is still temporary.

Expectations for the opening month

Dent, Niang, Dioubate, Dessert and Clark are among the 14 newcomers that make up the LSU roster, as the Tigers did not have a single returner from the 2025-2026 season.

Wade's team still faces eligibility uncertainty for Clark and guard RJ Luis Jr., who is not officially listed on the team roster. The Tigers will need to show that they can play together no matter who is on the court. Building team chemistry will be key for the Tigers in their non-conference matchups before SEC play begins on Jan. 2, 2027.

The Tigers will tip off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

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