Coach Matt McMahon enters what could be a make-or-break fourth season. His three-year record is 45-54. His only winning season finished with a 17-16 mark two seasons ago. He has yet to coach the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament, something he was able to do in his previous job at Murray State. McMahon received a boost in financial backing to attract new talent. Just two players return from a season ago and only one of them, 6-foot-10 forward Jalen Reed,
was a regular starter. Also back is 6-10 Robert Miller, who started eight games.
Dedan Thomas (junior, G, 15.7 ppg last season, including 35% from 3). Thomas has started 60 games during two seasons at UNLV and was a highly sought transfer. He also looks to be what LSU needs to complement its formidable size in the front court.
Reed (junior, F, 11.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season). Reed started the first eight games last season before a season-ending knee injury, which allowed him to retain his junior year of eligibility. His absence for most of last season hurt in SEC play.
Marquel Sutton (senior, F, 18.9 ppg and 7.9 rpg last season). Sutton, a 6-8 wing, started 98 games over three seasons at Omaha and will pair with Thomas in the Tigers' new back court.
Players transferring out included guard Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State), forward Corey Chest (Ole Miss), forward Tyrell Ward (VCU), forward Noah Boyd (WKU) and forward Daimion Collins (USF). ... In addition to Thomas and Sutton, LSU has used the transfer portal to bring in 6-6 senior guard Max Mackinnon from Portland, 6-10 junior forward Michael Nwoko from Mississippi State, 6-6 senior shooting guard Rashaad King from Northeastern, 6-7 graduate senior forward Pablo Tamba from UC-Davis and 6-4 senior guard PJ Carter from Memphis. Freshman recruits are led by 6-foot guard Jalen Reece, a top-100 recruit from Orlando, Florida.
Nov. 5 vs Tarleton State (opener); Dec. 7 vs. Texas Tech in Fort Worth; Jan. 14 vs. Kentucky; Jan. 20 at Florida; Jan. 24 at Arkansas; Feb. 21 vs. Alabama.
LSU has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2022, a season that began with Will Wade as head coach and ended with him being fired shortly before the tournament amid misconduct allegations. Because of sanctions stemming from the Wade investigation, LSU also was down one scholarship each of the past two seasons. ... Thomas was All-Mountain West after both of his seasons at UNLV. ... Sutton was Summitt League Player of the Year in 2025 and will face his old team in a home game Nov. 21. ... Trey-Dez Green, who played power forward for the basketball team and tight end for the football team, decided to focus exclusively on football this fall and won't be coming back.
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