By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU basketball coach Will Wade lost the roster battle to Central Florida, 15-10, and the players-used contest, 13-6, in an exhibition game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Wednesday night.
But he won the game, 85-81, in front of 1,772 as Wade’s roster continues to be a work in progress that did not progress since the Tigers won their exhibition opener last week at McNeese State with the same 10 players and used seven.
“They threw a lot of bodies at us tonight,” Wade said. “It was a good win for us being short-handed. We got some other options that will be here soon. But it was good test for us so we can be ready for November 3.”
LSU opens the regular season on Nov. 3 against LSU-New Orleans after one more exhibition game on Oct. 24 at Florida State. By that game or the regular season opener, Wade hopes to have fifth-year senior transfer guard Skyy Clark of UCLA cleared by the NCAA along with a pair of overseas professional players as transfers in 6-foot-11 center Brice Dessert and 6-7 forward Saliou Niang.
“I would love to update you on the roster, but I won’t because all my words are being used against me,” Wade said when asked about the status of possible incoming players. “I’m not going to say anthing about eligibility right now.”
Wade was referencing some of the stories that circulated from the SEC basketball media days in Birmingham, Alabama, the last few days about his roster.
Column: Will Wade was a lil’ touchy about roster questions. But they persist, with another LSU vs SEC collision looming over an NBA draft pick the Tigers hope to have in a key role this season. https://t.co/HLODHzV8BO
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 13, 2026
And SEC commissioner Greg Sankey refuses to relent concerning his questionable lawsuit against LSU, now pointing out Wade’s previous efforts to roster former St. John’s star RJ Luis, who signed two NBA contracts after the 2024-25 season. But Wade just said on Tuesday that he was not going to roster Luis.
UPDATE on Greg Sankey’s lawsuit against LSU … it’s still a joke. @racertodd https://t.co/3WbghPGYjU
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 14, 2026
“I’m not going to be saying anything about eligibility,” Wade repeated.
Of the six players Wade used Wednesday, five logged 38 minutes or more. Meanwhile, 10 of the 13 players used by Central Florida coach Johnny Dawkins played 10 minutes or more with the longest stint just under 24 minutes by guard Dior Johnson, who led the Knights with 18.
LSU guard Abdi Bashir Jr., a senior transfer from Kansas State, played all 40 minutes possible and made the most of them, scoring 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 6 of 12 from three-point range.
LSU Basketball debuts a new, but familiar, radio voice tonight. @JHS1037 https://t.co/2AVu88Fqsc
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 14, 2026
LSU point guard Donovan Dent, a fifth-year senior transfer from UCLA, made all 38 of his minutes count, too, as he scored 21 points with 11 assists and was one rebound short of a triple-double as he had nine boards. He added three steals and three blocks. Dent also drew 13 fouls, contributing to guard Arturo Dean and forward Isaiah Malone fouling out.
“He’s a great player,” Wade said. “He was very engaged. He basically fouled out two guys.”
Dent’s strong drive and layup with 8.2 seconds to go in the game put the Tigers up, 83-81.
“He’s the leader,” Wade said. “He’s the point guard. The team follows him. He’s really growing. There are some more levels he can get to.”
Center Michael Ruzic, a freshman former overseas pro player from Zadar, Croatia, scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and blocked four shots in 38 minutes for the Tigers.
“Ruzic has been awesome,” Wade said. “Really, really good player. He’s only 19 years old. He’s going to be a great player.”
Forward Mo Dioubate, a senior forward transfer from Kentucky, scored 15 points with seven rebounds. He stole the inbounds pass after Dent put LSU up 83-81 and scored for the 85-81 final.
“We showed good poise in the last minute,” Wade said.
Guard Divine Ugochukwu, a junior transfer from Michigan State, scored only two points with two assists and two steals in 38 minutes. The sixth man was freshman forward Jordan Bender, who scored six points with two rebounds in 10 minutes.
“Our guys are in great shape,” Wade said. “Our conditioning staff does a great job. We’ve had to manage things a little bit differently, but it’s paying off. We’ll see how things go.”
Just wait until Wade starts playing eight or nine guys.
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