2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball team

2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record22–12 (9–9 SEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachBill Armstrong
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPete Maravich Assembly Center
Seasons
2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Auburn 15 – 3   .833 28 – 6   .824
No. 16 Kentucky 14 – 4   .778 26 – 8   .765
No. 15 Tennessee † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
No. 8 Arkansas 13 – 5   .722 28 – 9   .757
LSU 9 – 9   .500 22 – 12   .647
Alabama 9 – 9   .500 19 – 14   .576
South Carolina 9 – 9   .500 18 – 13   .581
Texas A&M 9 – 9   .500 27 – 13   .675
Florida 9 – 9   .500 20 – 14   .588
Mississippi State 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Vanderbilt 7 – 11   .389 19 – 17   .528
Missouri 5 – 13   .278 12 – 21   .364
Ole Miss 4 – 14   .222 13 – 19   .406
Georgia 1 – 17   .056 6 – 26   .188
† 2022 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Will Wade, in his fifth (and final) season at LSU. They played their home games at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 22–12, 9–9 in SEC Play to finish a five-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Missouri in the Second Round, before losing in the quarterfinals to Arkansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, where they were upset in the First Round by Iowa State.

Following the team's loss in the SEC Tournament, the school fired head coach Will Wade after receiving notification of significant NCAA violations by Wade.[1] Assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry coached the team in their NCAA Tournament game. On March 21, 2022, the school named Murray State head coach Matt McMahon the team's new head coach.[2]

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers finished the season 19–10, 11–6 in SEC play to finish in third place. They defeated Ole Miss and Arkansas in the SEC tournament to advance to the championship game where they lost to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the East Region where they defeated St. Bonaventure in the first round before losing to Michigan in the second round.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Javonte Smart 1 G 6'4" 205 Junior Baton Rouge, LA Declared for the 2021 NBA draft
Trendon Watford 2 F 6'9" 240 Sophomore Birmingham, AL Declared for the 2021 NBA draft
Jalen Cook 3 G 6'0" 205 Freshman Walker, LA Transferred to Tulane
Josh LeBlanc Sr. 11 G 6'7" 230 Junior Baton Rouge, LA Transferred to UAB
Aundre Hyatt 15 F 6'6" 225 RS Sophomore The Bronx, NY Transferred to Rutgers
Charles Manning Jr. 21 G 6'5" 205 Junior Riverhead, NY Transferred to South Alabama
Bryan Penn-Johnson 22 C 7'0" 260 Sophomore Long Beach, CA Transferred to East Los Angeles College
Cameron Thomas 24 G 6'4" 210 Freshman Chesapeke, VA Declared for the 2021 NBA draft
Josh Gray 34 C 6'11" 255 Freshman Brooklyn, NY Transferred to South Carolina

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Xavier Pinson 1 G 6'2" 154 Senior Chicago, IL Missouri
Tari Eason 13 F 6'8" 216 Sophomore Seattle, WA Cincinnati
Adam Miller 44 G 6'2" 185 Sophomore Peoria, IL Illinois

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Efton Reid
C 		Richmond, VA IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (110 kg) May 9, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Jerrell Colbert
C 		Houston, TX Houston (TN) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Mar 1, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Brandon Murray
SG 		Baltimore, MD IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Aug 15, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Justice Williams
SG 		Philadelphia, PA Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 17, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
Bradley Ezewiro
C 		Torrance, CA Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Oct 26, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "LSU 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  • "2021 LSU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

2022 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Julian Phillips
#5 SF 		Blythewood, SC Link Year Prep 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 8, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Devin Ree
#26 SF 		Terry, MS Terry High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Dec 10, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Brandon Murray 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Fr IMG Academy Baltimore, MD
G 1 Xavier Pinson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 154 lb (70 kg) Sr Missouri Chicago, IL
G 2 Eric Gaines 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 150 lb (68 kg) So Lithonia HS Lithonia, GA
F 3 Alex Fudge 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Robert E. Lee HS Jacksonville, FL
F 4 Darius Days 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr IMG Academy Raleigh, FL
F 5 Mwani Wilkinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) So Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, NV
G 10 Brandon Egemo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 166 lb (75 kg) So University HS Los Angeles, CA
G 11 Justice Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Philadelphia, PA
F 13 Tari Eason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) So Cincinnati Seattle, WA
C 15 Efton Reid 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Fr IMG Academy Richmond, VA
C 20 Jerrell Colbert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Fr Houston HS Houston, TX
F 21 Bradley Ezewiro 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 246 lb (112 kg) Fr Oak Hill Academy Torrance, CA
G 22 Spencer Mays (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Baton Rouge CC Baton Rouge, LA
F 24 Shareef O'Neal 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr UCLA Los Angeles, CA
F 25 Adam Benhayoune (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Sandra Day O'Connor HS Helotes, TX
G 30 Parker Edwards (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 214 lb (97 kg) RS Jr Southeastern Louisiana Covington, LA
G 44 Adam Miller Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Illinois Peoria, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+ 		Louisiana–Monroe W 101–39  1–0
  30 – Days   10 – Eason   7 – Tied  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,969)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 12, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+ 		Texas State W 84–59  2–0
  17 – Tied   10 – Eason   5 – Gaines  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,030)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 15, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Liberty W 74–58  3–0
  26 – Days   7 – Tied   7 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,940)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 18, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+ 		McNeese State
Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game 		W 85–46  4–0
  19 – Eason   14 – Eason   8 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,062)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+ 		Belmont W 83–53  5–0
  15 – Tied   9 – Reid   3 – Tied  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,923)
Baton Rouge, LA
November 26, 2021*
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. Penn State
Emerald Coast Classic semifinals 		W 68–63 OT 6–0
  20 – Eason   9 – Eason   3 – Tied  The Arena at NFSC (2,146)
Niceville, FL
November 27, 2021*
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. Wake Forest
Emerald Coast Classic championship game 		W 75–61  7–0
  14 – Reid   9 – Fudge   5 – Pinson  The Arena at NFSC (1,700)
Niceville, FL
December 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+ 		Ohio W 66–51  8–0
  20 – Eason   13 – Days   5 – Gaines  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,328)
Baton Rouge, LA
December 11, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 25 vs. Georgia Tech
Holiday Hoopsgiving 		W 69–53  9–0
  23 – Eason   10 – Days   6 – Pinson  State Farm Arena (6,137)
Atlanta, GA
December 14, 2021*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 19 Northwestern State W 89–49  10–0
  18 – Eason   10 – Reid   4 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,904)
Baton Rouge, LA
December 18, 2021*
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 19 vs. Louisiana Tech
Bossier City Showcase 		W 66–57  11–0
  21 – Eason   18 – Days   2 – Tied  Brookshire Grocery Arena (6,868)
Bossier City, LA
December 22, 2021*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 17 Lipscomb W 95–60  12–0
  21 – Days   9 – Reid   6 – Gaines  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,767)
Baton Rouge, LA
December 29, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 16 at No. 11 Auburn L 55–70  12–1
(0–1) 		 13 – Pinson   7 – Eason   3 – Pinson  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 4, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 21 No. 16 Kentucky W 65–60  13–1
(1–1) 		 13 – Eason   7 – Days   4 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,808)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 8, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 21 No. 18 Tennessee W 79–67  14–1
(2–1) 		 24 – Eason   12 – Eason   7 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,881)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 12, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 at Florida W 64–58  15–1
(3–1) 		 20 – Days   8 – Wilkinson   2 – Tied  O'Connell Center (10,110)
Gainesville, FL
January 15, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 Arkansas L 58–65  15–2
(3–2) 		 14 – Gaines   6 – Gaines   5 – Gaines  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,734)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 19, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 13 at Alabama L 67–70  15–3
(3–3) 		 26 – Eason   10 – Eason   3 – Wilkinson  Coleman Coliseum (10,368)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 22, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 13 at No. 24 Tennessee L 50–64  15–4
(3–4) 		 16 – Eason   7 – Days   3 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,061)
Knoxville, TN
January 26, 2022
8:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 19 Texas A&M W 70–64  16–4
(4–4) 		 21 – Murray   9 – Eason   3 – Tied  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,929)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 29, 2022*
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		No. 19 at TCU
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 68–77  16–5
  16 – Eason   12 – Days   6 – Gaines  Schollmaier Arena (6,539)
Fort Worth, TX
February 1, 2022
8:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 25 Ole Miss L 72–76  16–6
(4–5) 		 21 – Days   13 – Days   3 – Tied  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,707)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 5, 2022
5:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 25 at Vanderbilt L 66–75  16–7
(4–6) 		 16 – Eason   11 – Days   2 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (7,381)
Nashville, TN
February 8, 2022
6:00 p.m., SECN 		at Texas A&M W 76–68  17–7
(5–6) 		 25 – Eason   12 – Eason   5 – Murray  Reed Arena (6,636)
College Station, TX
February 12, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Mississippi State W 69–65  18–7
(6–6) 		 23 – Eason   7 – Days   5 – Gaines  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,975)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 16, 2022
7:00 p.m., SECN 		Georgia W 84–65  19–7
(7–6) 		 21 – Eason   12 – Days   10 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,064)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 19, 2022
2:30 p.m., SECN 		at South Carolina L 75–77  19–8
(7–7) 		 21 – Eason   10 – Eason   8 – Pinson  Colonial Life Arena (11,292)
Columbia, SC
February 23, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 6 Kentucky L 66–71  19–9
(7–8) 		 26 – Pinson   8 – Days   8 – Pinson  Rupp Arena (20,199)
Lexington, KY
February 26, 2022
7:30 p.m., SECN 		Missouri W 75–55  20–9
(8–8) 		 18 – Eason   7 – O'Neal   3 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,304)
Baton Rouge, LA
March 2, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 14 Arkansas L 76–77  20–10
(8–9) 		 24 – Eason   7 – Tied   5 – Pinson  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 5, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		No. 25 Alabama W 80–77 OT 21–10
(9–9) 		 24 – Days   9 – Eason   8 – Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,237)
Baton Rouge, LA
SEC Tournament
March 10, 2022
1:00 p.m., SECN 		(5) vs. (12) Missouri
Second Round 		W 76–68  22–10
  19 – Eason   8 – Days   8 – Murray  Amalie Arena 
Tampa, FL
March 11, 2022
1:30 p.m., ESPN 		(5) vs. (4) No. 15 Arkansas
Quarterfinals 		L 67–79  22–11
  15 – Eason   10 – Days   4 – Murray  Amalie Arena 
Tampa, FL
NCAA tournament
Mar 18, 2022
6:20 p.m., TBS 		(6 MW) vs. (11 MW) Iowa State
First Round 		L 54–59  22–12
  18 – Eason   12 – Days   7 – Pinson  Fiserv Forum (17,500)
Milwaukee, WI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Schedule Source[3]

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRVRV251917162112131925RVNot released
CoachesRV^RVRV242016162112161825———————

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll

See also

References

  1. ^ "LSU fires Wade after NCAA discloses allegations". ESPN.com. March 12, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "LSU turns to Murray St.'s McMahon as next coach". ESPN.com. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule" (Press release). LSU Department of Athletics. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.