2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball team
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.
2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball | |
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Emerald Coast Classic champions | |
NCAA tournament, First Round | |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Record | 22–12 (9–9 SEC) |
Head coach |
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Associate head coach | Bill Armstrong |
Assistant coaches | |
Home arena | Pete Maravich Assembly Center |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 |
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 |
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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
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Efton Reid C |
Richmond, VA | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | May 9, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 | ||||||
Jerrell Colbert C |
Houston, TX | Houston (TN) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Mar 1, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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2022 Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits | ||||||
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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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
2021–22 LSU Tigers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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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
Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 25 | RV | Not released | ||||||
Coaches | RV | ^ | RV | RV | 24 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll
References
- "LSU fires Wade after NCAA discloses allegations". ESPN.com. March 12, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- "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.
- "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule" (Press release). LSU Department of Athletics. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.