2018–19 LSU Tigers basketball team

The 2018–19 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Will Wade, in his second season at LSU. Tony Benford also served as interim head coach for the last regular season game, 2019 SEC men's basketball tournament and 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. 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 28-7, 16-2 in SEC Play to finish as SEC regular season champions.. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Florida. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Yale and Maryland to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Michigan State.

2018–19 LSU Tigers basketball
SEC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 12
Record	28–7 (16–2 SEC)
Head coach	Will Wade (2nd season) Tony Benford (interim)
Assistant coaches	Bill Armstrong Tony Benford Greg Heiar
Home arena	Pete Maravich Assembly Center

2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 15 LSU	16	–	2		.889			28	–	7		.800
No. 10 Tennessee	15	–	3		.833			31	–	6		.838
No. 7 Kentucky	15	–	3		.833			30	–	7		.811
No. 5 Auburn†	11	–	7		.611			30	–	10		.750
South Carolina	11	–	7		.611			16	–	16		.500
Mississippi State	10	–	8		.556			23	–	11		.676
Ole Miss	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
Florida	9	–	9		.500			20	–	16		.556
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			18	–	16		.529
Arkansas	8	–	10		.444			18	–	16		.529
Texas A&M	6	–	12		.333			14	–	18		.438
Missouri	5	–	13		.278			15	–	17		.469
Georgia	2	–	16		.111			11	–	21		.344
Vanderbilt	0	–	18		.000			9	–	23		.281
† 2019 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2017–18 season 18–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC tournament to Mississippi State. The Tigers received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Louisiana before losing in to Utah in the second round.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Brandon Sampson	0	G	6'5"	184	Junior	Baton Rouge, LA	Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Duop Reath	1	F	6'11"	244	Senior	Perth, Australia	Graduated
Brandon Rachal	2	G	6'5"	215	Freshman	Natchitoches, LA	Transferred to Pearl River CC
Galen Alexander	10	F	6'6"	210	Freshman	Breaux Bridge, LA	Dismissed from the team
Jeremy Combs	13	F	6'7"	215	Senior	Dallas, TX	Graduated
Randy Onwausor	14	G	6'3"	210	RS Senior	Inglewood, CA	Graduated
Reed Vial	15	G	6'3"	190	Junior	Baton Rouge, LA	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Aaron Epps	21	F	6'10"	214	Senior	Ball, LA	Graduated
Mayan Kiir	35	F	6'9"	217	Sophomore	Bradenton, FL	Dismissed from the team
Wayde Sims	44	F	6'6"	217	Sophomore	Baton Rouge, LA	Deceased

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Marlon Taylor	14	F	6'6"		Junior	Mount Vernon, NY	Panola College
Danya Kingsby	20	G	6'1"	165	Junior	Milwaukee, WI	College of Southern Idaho
Courtese Cooper	21	F	6'9"	205	Sophomore	Elgin, IL	Triton College

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Naz Reid #3 PF	Asbury Park, NJ	Roselle Catholic High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Sep 12, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Emmitt Williams #7 PF	Lehigh Acres, FL	Oak Ridge High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jan 26, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Javonte Smart #9 PG	Baton Rouge, LA	Scotlandville Magnet High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 30, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Darius Days #14 PF	Williston, FL	The Rock School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	Oct 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Aundre Hyatt #51 PF	Chalottesville, VA	The Miller School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	Aug 6, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
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 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017. "2018 LSU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.

Roster

2018–19 LSU Tigers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Naz Reid 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Roselle Catholic High School Asbury Park, New Jersey G 1 Javonte Smart 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Scotlandville Magnet High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana G 3 Tremont Waters 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 167 lb (76 kg) So Notre Dame High School New Haven, Connecticut G 4 Skylar Mays 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Findlay Prep Baton Rouge, Louisiana G 5 Daryl Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Northwest Florida State Fresno, California G 10 Noah Thomas (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Cy-Fair High School Cypress, Texas F 11 Kavell Bigby-Williams 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Oregon London, England G 12 Marshall Graves (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Louisiana State University Laboratory School Ponchatoula, Louisiana G 13 Will Reese (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Anacoco High School Leesville, Louisiana G 14 Marlon Taylor 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Panola College Mount Vernon, New York F 15 Aundre Hyatt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Miller School Bronx, New York G 20 Danya Kingsby 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Southern Idaho Milwaukee, Wisconsin F 21 Courtese Cooper 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Triton College Elgin, Illinois F 22 Darius Days 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Fr IMG Academy Raleigh, Florida F 24 Emmitt Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Oak Ridge High School Fort Myers, Florida	Head coach Will Wade (Clemson) Assistant coach(es) Bill Armstrong (UAB) Tony Benford (Texas Tech) Greg Heiar (Franciscan) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018* 7:30 pm, SECN+	No. 23	Southeastern Louisiana	W 93–64	1–0	17 – Reid	10 – Williams	2 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,513) Baton Rouge, LA
November 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+	No. 23	UNC Greensboro	W 97–91	2–0	29 – Reid	7 – Reid	10 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,613) Baton Rouge, LA
November 13, 2018* 6:00 pm, SECN	No. 22	Memphis AdvoCare Invitational non-bracket game	W 85–76	3–0	19 – Mays	10 – Williams	8 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,295) Baton Rouge, LA
November 16, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+	No. 22	Louisiana Tech	W 74–67	4–0	16 – Smart	7 – Williams	5 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,557) Baton Rouge, LA
November 22, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 19	vs. College of Charleston AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals	W 67–55	5–0	14 – Williams	9 – Williams	11 – Waters	HP Field House (N/A) Orlando, FL
November 23, 2018* 4:30 pm, ESPN2	No. 19	vs. No. 14 Florida State AdvoCare Invitational semifinals	L 76–79 OT	5–1	19 – Mays	6 – Days	8 – Smart	HP Field House (N/A) Orlando, FL
November 25, 2018* 3:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 19	vs. Oklahoma State AdvoCare Invitational 3rd place game	L 77–90	5–2	20 – Mays	7 – Bigby-Williams	5 – Waters	HP Field House (N/A) Orlando, FL
December 1, 2018* 4:00 pm, SECN+		Grambling State	W 78–57	6–2	15 – Waters	9 – Days	5 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,474) Baton Rouge, LA
December 9, 2018* 1:00 pm, SECN		Incarnate Word	W 91–50	7–2	16 – Tied	10 – Bigby-Williams	6 – Mays	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,098) Baton Rouge, LA
December 12, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 24 Houston	L 76–82	7–3	18 – Smart	6 – Williams	2 – Tied	Fertitta Center (7,039) Houston, TX
December 15, 2018* 10:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Saint Mary's Neon Hoops Showcase	W 78–74	8–3	18 – Waters	6 – Williams	3 – Tied	T-Mobile Arena (5,107) Paradise, NV
December 21, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+		No. 24 Furman	W 75–57	9–3	20 – Waters	10 – Tied	7 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,765) Baton Rouge, LA
December 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+		Louisiana–Monroe	W 81–69	10–3	19 – Reid	12 – Reid	10 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,028) Baton Rouge, LA
SEC regular season
January 8, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN		Alabama	W 88–79	11–3 (1–0)	19 – Waters	13 – Bigby-Williams	7 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,718) Baton Rouge, LA
January 12, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN		at Arkansas	W 94–88 OT	12–3 (2–0)	27 – Reid	10 – Williams	11 – Waters	Bud Walton Arena (17,361) Fayetteville, AR
January 15, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN		at No. 18 Ole Miss	W 83–69	13–3 (3–0)	20 – Waters	10 – Bigby-Williams	9 – Waters	The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Oxford, MS
January 19, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN		South Carolina	W 89–67	14–3 (4–0)	15 – Tied	13 – Williams	6 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,607) Baton Rouge, LA
January 23, 2019 6:00 pm, SECN	No. 25	Georgia	W 92–82	15–3 (5–0)	26 – Waters	7 – Reid	4 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,416) Baton Rouge, LA
January 26, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN	No. 25	at Missouri	W 86–80 OT	16–3 (6–0)	24 – Mays	8 – Reid	9 – Waters	Mizzou Arena (11,513) Columbia, MO
January 30, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 19	at Texas A&M	W 72–57	17–3 (7–0)	36 – Waters	11 – Bigby-Williams	4 – Mays	Reed Arena (6,554) College Station, TX
February 2, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN	No. 19	Arkansas	L 89–90	17–4 (7–1)	19 – Reid	10 – Reid	6 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,311) Baton Rouge, LA
February 6, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 21	at Mississippi State	W 92–88 OT	18–4 (8–1)	29 – Reid	13 – Bigby-Williams	5 – Waters	Humphrey Coliseum (7,456) Starkville, MS
February 9, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 21	Auburn	W 83–78	19–4 (9–1)	20 – Mays	11 – Bigby-Williams	10 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,004) Baton Rouge, LA
February 12, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN	No. 19	at No. 5 Kentucky	W 73–71	20–4 (10–1)	15 – Waters	7 – Reid	5 – Tied	Rupp Arena (23,490) Lexington, KY
February 16, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN	No. 19	at Georgia	W 83–79	21–4 (11–1)	20 – Waters	8 – Bigby-Williams	5 – Waters	Stegeman Coliseum (10,298) Athens, GA
February 20, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	Florida	L 77–82 OT	21–5 (11–2)	18 – Mays	15 – Reid	4 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,976) Baton Rouge, LA
February 23, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN	No. 13	No. 5 Tennessee	W 82–80 OT	22–5 (12–2)	29 – Smart	10 – Bigby-Williams	5 – Smart	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,581) Baton Rouge, LA
February 26, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	Texas A&M	W 66–55	23–5 (13–2)	18 – Reid	11 – Tied	5 – Mays	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,614) Baton Rouge, LA
March 2, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN	No. 13	at Alabama	W 74–69	24–5 (14–2)	20 – Mays	13 – Reid	4 – Smart	Coleman Coliseum (11,570) Tuscaloosa, AL
March 6, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 10	at Florida	W 79–78 OT	25–5 (15–2)	19 – Waters	14 – Williams	6 – Waters	Exactech Arena (9,550) Gainesville, FL
March 9, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN	No. 10	Vanderbilt	W 80–59	26–5 (16–2)	15 – Days	11 – Bigby-Williams	8 – Waters	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,546) Baton Rouge, LA
SEC Tournament
March 15, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN	(1) No. 9	vs. (8) Florida Quarterfinals	L 73–76	26–6	26 – Reid	14 – Reid	7 – Waters	Bridgestone Arena (16,490) Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2019* 11:40 am, truTV	(3 E) No. 12	vs. (14 E) Yale First Round	W 79–74	27–6	19 – Mays	10 – Reid	7 – Waters	VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (12,429) Jacksonville, FL
March 24, 2019* 11:10 am, CBS	(3 E) No. 12	vs. (6 E) Maryland Second Round	W 69–67	28–6	16 – Mays	8 – Bigby-Williams	5 – Waters	VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (14,250) Jacksonville, FL
March 29, 2019* 6:09 pm, CBS	(3 E) No. 12	vs. (2 E) No. 5 Michigan State Sweet Sixteen	L 63–80	28–7	23 – Waters	9 – Reid	9 – Tied	Capital One Arena (20,728) Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	23	22	19	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	25	19	21	19	13	13	10	9	12	Not released
Coaches	RV	RV^	21	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	19	22	21	15	14	10	9	12	15

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