LSU Beats McNeese 63-60 in Exhibition Game in Lake Charles

LSU defeated McNeese 63-60 in a men's basketball exhibition game at Townley Law Arena in Lake Charles, where the Tigers overcame a tight contest marked by 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The matchup featured LSU coach Will Wade returning to face his former program.

McNeese opened strongly with an alley-oop dunk from Larry Johnson and a second-chance three-pointer from Choppa Moore, building a 19-13 lead before LSU tied the game 31-31 at halftime, according to KPLC.

The Cowboys later answered LSU's 53-47 advantage with three-pointers from Dellquan Warren and Alier Maluk. LSU eventually regained control after Michael Ruzic made free throws and Donovan Dent converted five of six attempts across three trips to the line.

Before the game, LSU said the exhibition was part of a return to Lake Charles for the Tigers, with Wade facing McNeese coach Bill Armstrong, who previously worked as an assistant under Wade.

"I’m excited about it. It’s great for Lake Charles and McNeese. I wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for them; if they hadn’t taken a chance on me.

I could never repay what those people did for me and my family. It will be weird being on the visiting sideline. Hopefully, they won’t boo us too much.

We wanted to build something there that would last. It will be a really tough game. The community support there is unparalleled with everybody that’s involved and how they support that program and Bill has done just a phenomenal job of winning at a high level.

We’re excited about the opportunity. It will be a great test for us. It will be a tough challenge." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

Wade also addressed LSU's unusual roster situation before the season opener. According to NOLA.com, the program had four listed players while awaiting eligibility decisions for additional players.

"A lot (has) changed since the first time I was here. There’s two massive changes: the first big change is I’m no longer the most controversial coach on campus. I’ve been happy to kind of pass that along. The second part is, we were just a little bit ahead of our time with NIL." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

Wade said he expected several players to become available under Southeastern Conference guidelines before LSU begins the regular season.

"I believe that on November 3, we will roll out there with every player eligible that is within those guidelines, that’s within the SEC guidelines. And I believe all the international kids, all the fifth-year kids, will be eligible." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

He explained LSU's approach to the roster while emphasizing compliance with NCAA and SEC rules.

"We're not going to do anything that sacrifices what we're trying to do long term. The thing (Thursday) is to raise money for McNeese. If we win, that's great.

We lose, not great, but life's going to move on. It doesn't go on our record." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

Wade discussed the eligibility outlook for international players and the strategy behind assembling the roster.

"We feel like almost all of them are going to be eligible. It's going to be hard to deny our kids when their teammates are eligible, and we know their (international) contracts and their contracts are more than our kids' contracts. I tend to feel pretty good about our chances." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

He added that LSU was aware of the scrutiny surrounding the program and wanted to follow regulations.

"I know everybody thinks we're like some fly by the seat of our pants. But look, we're gonna abide by the SEC and NCAA rules. We're not cutting any corners with the SEC rules or their stuff.

We're not cutting any corners with the NCAA rules and what they got going on because they're sure as hell looking at us, both entities (men’s basketball and football). We’re not trying to bring some sort of undue attention." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

Wade said LSU took a larger approach to adding experienced players than many other programs.

"Everybody else took one or two of these kids. We took five or six of them. I understand we went a little bit overboard, but everybody else has one or two of them.

Nobody's complaining about them. I figure if you're going to dive in, you might as well not dip your toe. Just dive head first and let's go." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

He also provided an estimate of the resources used to build the roster.

"We spent north of 10 (million) and south of 15. Somewhere in there. That's going to put us somewhere between nine and ... 12 in the SEC." said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.

Wade's final comment on the roster referenced the changing landscape of college athletics.

"We were just a little ahead of our time with NIL. Everybody says it’s ‘name, image and likeness.’ I say ‘now it’s legal.’" said Will Wade, LSU men's basketball head coach.