LSU Basketball a NCAA Tournament Team on Paper But Tigers Have Plenty of Work to Do

On paper, LSU appears to be a team that will not only compete among the best in the SEC but in the country come next winter. The Tigers return a few prominent role players from a season ago but the real crux of this roster comes with the transfer and freshmen talent added to the roster.

It's a roster that has all of the makings of an NCAA Tournament type team that can win at the highest level. Size, shooting, rebounding, physicality and versatility are just a few of the traits that Will Wade sees in this group and some of the prominent recruiting and college basketball experts are taking notice of the job the Tigers have done over the last month.

LSU was recently ranked No. 8 for the 2021 recruiting cycle by ESPN after the additions of center Efton Reid and transfers Adam Miller, Tari Eason and Xavier Pinson. It's a class that has a nice balance of veteran and freshman talent that the rankings point to with Alex Fudge, Jerrell Colbert and Brandon Murray all receiving notice as contributors to a deep roster.

Will Wade continues to recruit at a high level since arriving in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Efton Reid's commitment in early May pushed the class into the top 10. LSU made a strong push late in the process for Reid, who ultimately chose the Tigers over Pittsburgh. He's going to be a difference-making big man from day one. Even after Alex Fudge enrolled early, the rest of the class is still capable of making an impact. Jerrell Colbert brings a high ceiling to the paint, and he'll be able to help at both ends of the floor. Brandon Murray is a scoring wing from multiple spots on the floor who will be an offensive spark. Bradley Ezewiro, who originally signed in the 2020 class but decided over the summer to reclassify and wait a year, will add additional depth to the front line," ESPN wrote.

Even bracketology expert Joe Lunardi had LSU as a No. 9 seed in an updated projection of the 2022 March Madness tournament after previously not having the purple and gold in the postseason at all. It points to the caliber of talent Wade has been able to accumilate but LSU will certainly have to go through its growing pains with so many new players on the roster.

One of the issues that has plagued this team over the last couple of years has been the lack of a modern big man that can disrupt the paint on both ends and so Wade has gone out and signed three big guys in Reid, Colbert and Ezewiro to shore up that deficiency. All in all, this appears to be a more balanced team than in recent seasons.

That's also not to mention the status of Darius Days, who still could potentially return to the program if he doesn't like the feedback he gets from NBA clubs. Getting Days back would be huge for the culture and leadership of the program as a guy who's been to the tournament twice in three seasons.

"I think it's even more important this time around because of our roster makeup because we have this time now," Wade told LSUCountry in a recent interview. "We're excited about it, we're gonna mix in some basketball and some of the team building and other components that will hopefully make us tight and close and cohesive early on in the season."