Wade believes LSU will not finish last in SEC

Selected media members predicted LSU to finish last in this season’s Southeastern Conference basketball race.

The Tigers are coming off their worst campaign in 50 years. LSU won just two of 18 SEC games a season ago – its worst record since ending 1-17 in 1967.

Will Wade, who replaced the fired Johnny Jones as Tigers coach, certainly understands why his team was picked to 14th in a 14-team league. But, he also believes LSU will not finish in the cellar.

“We came in last place last year and lost our leading scorer (Antonio Blakeney) to the NBA,” said Wade at an SEC Media Days in Nashville on Wednesday. “(Picked last) is what most logical people would say. Do I think we are going to finish (last)? No. Do our players think we are going to finish (last)? No.”

Wade acknowledged that his team had the same type of expectations at his first head coaching job with Chattanooga four seasons ago.

“I had a very similar situation in my first year at Chattanooga,” Wade said. “We were picked to last or second to last and we came in second. I am not saying we are going to do that here. There is a big difference between the Southern Conference and the SEC.

“We don’t have to worry about expectations. There is nowhere to go but up. We have guys here who want to be successful. They don’t want to come in last. They don’t want to go through a season like last year. We have to go to work and prove those people wrong.”

Wade has a track record of success at both Chattanooga and VCU. Both of Wade’s VCU teams reached the NCAA tournament. Those accomplishments have been pointed out to the LSU players.

“We’ve been where everybody wants to go,” Wade said. “Here’s the road map. It’s not easy. If it would be easy, everybody would do it and I wouldn’t be here. If the players follow the formula, our way works. The way they have been trying has not worked.

“We start each day trying to change the culture. Never bet against consistent behavior. We create good habits every day. The guys understand this is the new normal. Either do it the right way or we will continue to do it until we do it the right way.”

LSU’s basketball program has been in a funk for most of the seasons since reaching the 2006 Final Four. In the past 11 seasons, the Tigers won one SEC title (2009) and made only two NCAA tournament appearances (2009 and 2015).

Wade does not feel that it will take too long for LSU to be a consistent visitor to The Big Dance.

“It takes three years in order for a program to sustain success,” Wade said. “In three years, I expect our program to be up and running, going full speed ahead. By that time, we should be able to reload each year and not have ebb and flows.”

However, do not think that Wade is writing off the current season.

“We lost a lot of games last year where we were right there at the end,” Wade said. “We need to play well in the non-conference. Then, we need to put ourselves in position where we have a chance to win down the stretch. Bust through and win a couple of those would help in succeeding years.”

Here is the SEC predicted order of finish by selected media members.

1. Kentucky

2. Florida

3. Texas A&M

4. Alabama

5. Missouri

6. Arkansas

7. Vanderbilt

8. Georgia

9. Auburn

10. Ole Miss

11. South Carolina

12. Mississippi State

13. Tennessee

14. LSU