LSU Coach Will Wade Talks Challenges Preparing for Last Minute Schedule Change with Ole Miss
Will Wade got word on Thursday evening that the Missouri game might not happen due to COVID-19 protocols with the Missouri program. There was also a distinct possibility the Tigers would be playing in Oxford on Saturday against Ole Miss.
Wade, who's typically a morning person anyway, got to work especially early on Friday to start the prep work on the Rebels and as the early morning hours waned, it became crystal clear that LSU would have to scrap it's work on Missouri and focus fully on Ole Miss. He and his coaching staff scrapped together a morning film session with the players, followed by a practice, with more preparation expected on the plane trip to Oxford
"We were moving on the fly here pretty quick – we had to get in there and start some film on Ole Miss and get going so we had to quickly pivot – it’s been an interesting few hours, but that’s the way it goes," Wade said Friday afternoon.
"We’re excited to play, our guys are excited to play – we’ve said the whole time our players want to play games so whatever we’ve got to do to make it happen – this is just one of those things and we’ll be ready tomorrow night, as ready as we can be."
Wade, who's an extremely analytical coach, said the advanced stats are the ones that you can't turn around and produce in just a few short hours. Because the coaching staff was put into scramble mode, the details those stats provide will likely be hammered home Friday evening and during the morning shootaround in Oxford.
"We’re going to have to use it the best we can. We’re a little bit off, but it’s nothing we haven’t done before," Wade said.
LSU (7-2, 2-1) has been in this situation but on the opposite end as COVID-19 protocols forced the program to cancel or postpone four separate non-conference outings. Having to prepare for a scenario like this one is unique only to this season and is something that Wade has said will separate the good teams from the great ones.
Luckily for the Tigers, the Rebels have had to prepare on the fly as well, which gives neither team much of an advantage. Though just a few hours, into preparation for the team, Wade said the Rebels are an elite defensive team and what makes them so special is their adaptability to switch defenses on the fly.
“They’re physical, they play extremely hard. They roll with nine guys and we’re very familiar with them," Wade said. "They’re the second best defensive team in the SEC. They’re top 10 in the country in a lot of defensive categories and they change those defenses up so we’ve gotta be ready for that."
With the most recent departure of senior guard Charles Manning, Wade said he now has seven players he feels extremely comfortable with and that opens up more minutes for all of them. The goal for Wade is to play eight normally throughout the course of a game and so the team is still looking for one or two guys who can consistently fill out the eight man rotation.
"There are seven guys I’m 100% with. They bring great offensive and defensive leverage to our team and good stuff to us," Wade said. "We’re still searching for that eighth and ninth guy. We’ve just gotta try some guys out, see which one of them is playing well that night and get those minutes to that guy in the second half."
Tip-off between LSU and Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night and is expected to be carried on the SEC Network.
