# 2019–20 LSU Tigers basketball team

The 2019–20 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Will Wade, in his third 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 21–10, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They were set to be the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament with a bye to the quarterfinals. However, the SEC Tournament and all other postseason tournaments were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2018–19 season 28–7, 16–2 in SEC play to finish as regular season SEC champions. They lost in the Quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Florida. The Tigers received an invitation to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Yale in the First Round and Maryland in the Second Round before losing to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen. Head coach Will Wade was briefly suspended at the end of the season due to NCAA concerns.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Naz Reid | 0 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Freshman | Asbury Park, NJ | Declare for 2019 NBA draft |
| Tremont Waters | 3 | G | 5'11" | 167 | Sophomore | New Haven, CT | Declare for 2019 NBA draft |
| Daryl Edwards | 5 | G | 6'3" | 165 | Junior | Fresno, CA | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Noah Thomas | 10 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman | Cypress, TX | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Kavell Bigby-Williams | 11 | F | 6'11" | 230 | RS Senior | London, England | Graduated |
| Will Reese | 13 | G | 6'4" | 190 | RS Sophomore | Leesville, LA | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Danya Kingsby | 20 | G | 6'1" | 165 | Junior | Milwaukee, WI | Transferred to Bradley |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Parker Edwards | 3 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Sophomore | Mandeville, LA | Southeastern Louisiana |
| Charles Manning, Jr. | 11 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Junior | Riverhead, NY | Florida Southwestern State |
| Caleb Starks | 20 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Junior | Lafayette, IN | LSU-Eunice |

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Trendon Watford PF | Mountain Brook, AL | Mountain Brook High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | May 20, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| James Bishop SG | Baltimore, MD | Mount St. Joseph High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 18, 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 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "2019 LSU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. ||||||

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jalen Cook PG | Walker, LA | Walker High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 18, 2019 |
| 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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "2020 LSU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019. |||||||

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Kentucky |
| 2 | Florida |
| 3 | LSU |
| 4 | Auburn |
| 5 | Tennessee |
| 6 | Alabama |
| 7 | Mississippi State |
| 8 | Ole Miss |
| 9 | Georgia |
| 10 | South Carolina |
| 11 | Arkansas |
| 12 | Texas A&M |
| 13 | Missouri |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Tigers had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2019* 4:00 pm | No. 22 | at Louisiana Tech Hoops 4 Disaster Relief | W 83–70 | | 18 – Smart | 10 – Watford | 4 – Tied | Thomas Assembly Center (6,832) Ruston, LA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 8, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 22 | Bowling Green | W 88–79 | 1–0 | 21 – Tied | 8 – Smart | 5 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,622) Baton Rouge, LA |
| November 13, 2019* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | at VCU | L 82–84 | 1–1 | 23 – Mays | 8 – Mays | 3 – Tied | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| November 16, 2019* 3:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 23 | Nicholls | W 75–65 | 2–1 | 18 – Mays | 12 – Williams | 5 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,833) Baton Rouge, LA |
| November 19, 2019* 6:00 pm, SECN | | UMBC | W 77–50 | 3–1 | 16 – Manning Jr. | 12 – Watford | 4 – Bishop | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,783) Baton Rouge, LA |
| November 22, 2019* 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. No. 15 Utah State Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic | L 78–80 | 3–2 | 30 – Mays | 8 – Williams | 4 – Smart | Montego Bay Convention Centre (1,452) Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| November 24, 2019* 1:30 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Rhode Island Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic | W 96–83 | 4–2 | 27 – Williams | 9 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Montego Bay Convention Centre Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| November 29, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Missouri State | W 73–58 | 5–2 | 20 – Days | 10 – Days | 9 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,892) Baton Rouge, LA |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN | | New Orleans | W 90–54 | 6–2 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Tied | 8 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,608) Baton Rouge, LA |
| December 8, 2019* 4:00 pm, SECN | | Northwestern State | W 109–59 | 7–2 | 17 – Smart | 10 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,483) Baton Rouge, LA |
| December 18, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN | | East Tennessee State | L 63–74 | 7–3 | 16 – Williams | 11 – Williams | 7 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,556) Baton Rouge, LA |
| December 21, 2019* 8:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. USC Basketball Hall of Fame Classic | L 68–70 | 7–4 | 21 – Mays | 11 – Days | 4 – Tied | Staples Center (8,296) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 29, 2019* 2:00 pm, SECN | | Liberty | W 74–57 | 8–4 | 14 – Days | 8 – Watford | 6 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,193) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 4, 2020 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at Tennessee | W 78–64 | 9–4 (1–0) | 21 – Smart | 11 – Days | 4 – Smart | Thompson–Boling Arena (18,653) Knoxville, TN |
| January 8, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Arkansas | W 79–77 | 10–4 (2–0) | 21 – Watford | 16 – Days | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,662) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 11, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | | Mississippi State | W 60–59 | 11–4 (3–0) | 17 – Williams | 8 – Days | 6 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,364) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 14, 2020 7:00 pm, SECN | | at Texas A&M | W 89–85 $^{OT}$ | 12–4 (4–0) | 19 – Tied | 11 – Watford | 8 – Mays | Reed Arena (7,068) College Station, TX |
| January 18, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Ole Miss | W 80–76 | 13–4 (5–0) | 20 – Smart | 10 – Watford | 4 – Mays | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,043) Oxford, MS |
| January 21, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | Florida | W 84–82 | 14–4 (6–0) | 19 – Williams | 11 – Taylor | 7 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,479) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 25, 2020* 1:00 pm, ESPN | | at Texas Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 69–67 | 15–4 | 22 – Watford | 7 – Tied | 5 – Mays | Frank Erwin Center (11,287) Austin, TX |
| January 29, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | Alabama | W 90–76 | 16–4 (7–0) | 23 – Williams | 15 – Watford | 4 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,871) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 1, 2020 11:00 am, ESPN2 | No. 22 | Ole Miss | W 73–63 | 17–4 (8–0) | 21 – Smart | 11 – Taylor | 3 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,112) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 5, 2020 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 18 | at Vanderbilt | L 90–99 | 17–5 (8–1) | 26 – Watford | 11 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Memorial Gymnasium (9,256) Nashville, TN |
| February 8, 2020 11:00 am, ESPN | No. 18 | at No. 11 Auburn | L 90–91 $^{OT}$ | 17–6 (8–2) | 30 – Mays | 7 – Tied | 8 – Mays | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 11, 2020 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 25 | Missouri | W 82–78 | 18–6 (9–2) | 23 – Mays | 10 – Days | 2 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,990) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 15, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 25 | at Alabama | L 82–88 | 18–7 (9–3) | 24 – Mays | 10 – Williams | 4 – Smart | Coleman Coliseum (12,479) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 18, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 10 Kentucky | L 76–79 | 18–8 (9–4) | 17 – Mays | 11 – Days | 7 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,260) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 22, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at South Carolina | W 86–80 | 19–8 (10–4) | 18 – Tied | 10 – Watford | 6 – Mays | Colonial Life Arena (15,979) Columbia, SC |
| February 26, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Florida | L 66–81 | 19–9 (10–5) | 25 – Williams | 11 – Watford | 2 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,002) Gainesville, FL |
| February 29, 2020 11:00 am, ESPN2 | | Texas A&M | W 64–50 | 20–9 (11–5) | 24 – Mays | 8 – Mays | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,215) Baton Rouge, LA |
| March 4, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Arkansas | L 90–99 | 20–10 (11–6) | 28 – Mays | 7 – Smart | 6 – Mays | Bud Walton Arena (15,169) Fayetteville, AR |
| March 7, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Georgia | W 94–64 | 21–10 (12–6) | 30 – Taylor | 11 – Watford | 10 – Smart | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,697) Baton Rouge, LA |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN | (3) | vs. Quarterfinals | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Schedule Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 22 | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | — | RV | RV | 22 | 18 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | | Not released |
| Coaches | 24 | 24^ | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 18 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll