Wade Opens LSU Return With 100-57 Victory

The Tigers overwhelmed LSU-New Orleans in the season opener at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, building a 53-17 halftime lead and stretching the margin to 54 points. The game marked Wade’s return to LSU, 1,697 days after his first tenure ended with his firing in March 2022 amid an NCAA investigation that found five major recruiting violations.

LSU’s offense was led by Donovan Dent, a fifth-year transfer from UCLA, who scored 19 points and delivered 10 assists. Michael Ruzic, a seven-foot freshman who had played professionally in Spain, added 17 points. Saliou Niang contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Brice Dessert had 13 points and seven rebounds. Three of the players had been playing professionally overseas earlier in the year.

Wade previously led LSU to the 2018-19 Southeastern Conference regular-season title and the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. He returned to coaching after a year away, with stops at McNeese State and North Carolina State before taking the LSU job again. The Tigers had endured two straight 3-15 SEC seasons before his return.

Wade called the opener a first step toward building a championship-level program, saying the team’s goal was to win rather than trade on nostalgia. LSU will host Texas Southern on November 6 and Louisiana Tech on November 9.