LSU basketball rolls LSU-New Orleans to open Will Wade's second stint
The second Will Wade era at LSU kicked off on Nov. 3 as he and LSU basketball began the 2026-27 season hosting LSU New Orleans inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. After an offseason of questions swirling on who would play for the the Tigers, 14 players suited up and 12 of saw action in what would be a dominating season-opener against the Privateers. LSU had its way all night, beating LSU-New Orleans 100-57 to start the second Wade era 1-0. The Tigers’ only needed the first few minutes of the game to establish the upper hand. Wade went with the same starting lineup as he did in the team's final exhibition game against Florida State, starting guards Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent, forwards Saliou Niang and Mo Dioubate and center Brice Dessert. But it was Croatian center Michael Ruzic who led LSU in the first half off the bench. He was the first Tiger reserve to come into the game and immediately got to work, scoring 12 points without missing a shot attempt. The 7-foot, 240-pounder ended the game with 17 points, six rebounds and a block. When it wasn’t Ruzic, Dent was the most active player on the
