There were all sorts of graphics circulating on social media during the preseason, posts just like this one, indicating that, according to LSU's official roster, the Tigers had five coaches, 11 support-staff members and ... just four players.
The graphics were everywhere -- so much so that friends I have who don't even really follow college basketball too closely would randomly ask things like, "So what's going on at LSU? Will Wade only has four eligible players. Is that really true?"
Again, it was technically true when the questions were asked. But that was always something a judge somewhere would be able to fix eventually, as long as SEC commissioner Greg Sankey didn't try to get in the way again. So, eventually, a judge somewhere fixed it. And now LSU has more than four eligible players, and Wade used exactly eight of them Saturday in an 81-80 victory over Gonzaga that served as a reminder that whatever his approach, and no matter how anybody feels about it, if Wade is your coach, you're probably going to have a successful program.
"We're just getting started," Wade told his team afterward inside a celebratory locker room at Spokane Arena. "We didn't play great. We're just getting started. They don't wanna see us when we get good! They don't wanna see us when we get good! But, for right now, the [expletive] Tigers are back!"
What a scene.
Gonzaga was actually up 68-55 with less than eight minutes remaining Saturday. The game wasn't over, obviously, but it did feel decided. Then Abdi Bashir Jr. sank a couple of 3-pointers, LSU completed a 7-0 run, and, suddenly, in the final seconds, Donovan Dent found himself with the ball and his Tigers only down two points.
Here's what happened next:
DONOVAN DENT GAME WINNER pic.twitter.com/2MCC2NPET9
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 14, 2026
Huge shot. Big moment.
It'll forever be the jumper that lifted a team that only had four eligible players at one point in the preseason to a 4-0 record featuring a monster win over one of the sport's best programs. Yes, like Wade yelled in the locker room, it appears LSU is back. And now it looks like the man who was once most famous for talking wild on a wiretap will likely end this season by coaching in the NCAA Tournament for what would be the ninth time in 10 years for him on the sidelines even though, in that span, he has changed jobs three times and been fired once.
LSU is No. 19 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Gonzaga is down to No. 20. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana Monroe. Their next test against a power-conference opponent will come a week after that, against Arizona State in Palm Springs.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Alex Condon finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Friday's 83-54 win over Merrimack. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Notre Dame. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  | Braylon Mullins finished with 22 points and three assists in Friday's 84-68 win over Ohio State. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at Arizona. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  | Tre White finished with 30 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 89-69 win over Kentucky. The Jayhawks' next gameis Tuesday vs. UNLV in the Players Era in Las Vegas. | -- | 3-0 |
| 4 |  | Jeremy Fears finished with 24 points and nine assists in Friday's 106-72 win over Northern Iowa. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Tennessee. | -- | 4-0 |
| 5 |  | Dame Sarr finished with 12 points and four rebounds in Friday's 90-47 win over SIUE. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Illinois. | -- | 3-1 |
| 6 |  | Matas Vokietaitis finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 93-62 win over Grambling. The Longhorns' next game is Sunday against Baylor. | -- | 3-0 |
| 7 |  | Obinna Ekezie Jr. finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 107-57 win over Morehead State. The Cardinals' next game is Nov. 15 at Memphis. | -- | 2-0 |
| 8 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 87-83 win at Maryland. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against Old Dominion. | -- | 5-0 |
| 9 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 17 points and four assists in Wednesday's 90-59 win over Colgate. The Red Storm's next game is Sunday against Syracuse. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 10 |  | Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 17 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 92-46 win over Jacksonville State. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Rutgers. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 11 |  | Nikola Kusturica finished with 17 points and three assists in Wednesday's 106-37 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bruins' next game is Monday against Long Beach State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 12 |  | Dakari Spear finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 88-37 win over Stonehill. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against LSU New Orleans. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 13 |  | Tomislav Ivisic finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Friday's 108-86 win over Sam Houston. The Illini's next game is Tuesday against Duke. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 14 |  | Caleb Holt finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 80-69 win at Auburn. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against UConn. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 15 |  | Terrence Hill Jr. finished with 19 points and five assists in Friday's 83-78 win over Tennessee State. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 16 |  | Brent Bland finished with 26 points and five rebounds in Friday's 94-52 win over North Alabama. The Hurricanes' next game is Tuesday against Rider. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 17 |  | Billy Richmond III finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 79-66 win over Central Arkansas. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against Indiana. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 18 |  | Amari Allen finished with 24 points and five assists in Friday's 82-76 win over Seton Hall. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Kennesaw State. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 19 |  | Donovan Dent finished with 23 points and 10 assists in Saturday's 81-80 win over Gonzaga. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana Monroe. | NR | 4-0 |
| 20 |  | Davis Fogle missed eight of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 81-80 loss to LSU. The Zags' next game is Tuesday against Montana State. | 11 | 2-1 |
| 21 |  | Elliott Cadeau finished with 17 points and 10 assists in Wednesday's 84-70 win over Marquette. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday against William & Mary. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 22 |  | Alijah Arenas finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 77-65 win over Cal. The Trojans' next game is Sunday against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 23 |  | Robert Wright III finished with 22 points and seven assists in Thursday's 86-71 win over Montana State. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Northern Colorado. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 24 |  | Ace Glass finished with 19 points and four assists in Friday's 89-62 win over Prairie View A&M. The Commodores' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Illinois. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 25 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 94-60 win over Lindenwood. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against Boise State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 26 |  | Trey Green finished with 22 points and two assists in Tuesday's 125-63 win over Northern Kentucky. The Billikens' next game is Sunday against High Point. | 1 | 3-0 |
IN: LSU | OUT: Texas A&M
