Mizzou Basketball opponent preview: LSU - PowerMizzou: Missouri Tigers Football & Basketball Recruiting

Published Oct 13, 2023

Mizzou Basketball opponent preview: LSU

Drew King • PowerMizzou

Basketball Writer

In this series, we’ll look ahead at Mizzou’s opponents in the upcoming 2023-24 season. We’ll close out the series by previewing the LSU Tigers.

Date & Location: March 9 at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

2022-23 Record: 14-19 (2-16 SEC)

NCAA Tournament Finish: N/A

KEY LOSSES

Kendal Coleman (transferred), Cam Hayes (transferred), Justice Hill (transferred), Adam Miller (transferred), Shawn Phillips (transferred), Justice Williams (transferred), K.J. Williams (graduated)

KEY RETURNERS

Derek Fountain, Trae Hannibal, Jalen Reed, Tyrell Ward, Mwani Wilkinson

KEY INCOMING TRANSFERS

Will Baker (Nevada, 13.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.8 apg), Daimion Collins (Kentucky, 1.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.2 apg), Jalen Cook (Tulane, 19.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.9 apg), Hunter Dean (George Washington, 8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg), Carlos Stewart (Santa Clara, 15.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg), Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt, 10.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg)

KEY INCOMING FRESHMEN (rankings from Rivals.com)

Corey Chest Jr. (No. 109), Mike Williams III (N/A)

OUTLOOK

Heading into his first year as LSU’s head coach, Matt McMahon faced the daunting task of almost completely rebuilding the Tigers’ roster, with just two scholarship players staying in Baton Rouge, La. The team McMahon constructed wasn’t on par with the talent of the SEC, though.

After starting the year off going 12-1, including a win over Arkansas in the league opener, LSU lost 14 consecutive games. It earned just one more victory in the regular season, finishing dead last in the conference.

The Tigers saw eight players depart the program after the end of the year, putting McMahon on another uphill climb in putting together a team. The head coach brought in six transfers, which made up the No. 3 class in the country per EvanMiya.com, along with two freshmen and will hope they’ll be enough when combined with the handful of returners to progress the program forward.

Tulane transfer Jalen Cook will be a linchpin for how this year goes. Cook spent his freshman season at LSU, then transferred to Tulane and put up monster numbers in back-to-back seasons. Cook ranked second in the American Athletic Conference with 19.9 points per game, fifth with 4.9 assists per game and ninth with 2.2 3-pointers made per game last year. But as a second-time transfer, Cook has to receive a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play this season. Three-star freshman Mark Williams III is the only other true point guard on the roster — without Cook, McMahon would have to shoehorn another one of his guards into a role they’re not accustomed to.

Vanderbilt transfer Jordan Wright brings SEC experience at the opposite guard spot and will shoulder a heavier scoring load with the Tigers than he did with the Commodores. Returning senior Trae Hannibal, who made five starts last year, should continue to be one of the first players off the bench and Santa Clara transfer Carlos Stewart, who shot 40.3% from deep for the Broncos, will round out the guards’ rotation.

Regardless of how the backcourt shakes out, McMahon is banking big on returning sophomore Tyrell Ward taking a leap. The 6-foot-6 wing ranked 24th in the Class of 2022 coming out of high school but didn’t make much of an impact as a freshman, scoring double-digit points in just one game all season. The Tigers will also be helped by the return of senior wing Mwani Wilkinson, who started in nine of the 12 games he played in before a shoulder injury caused him to miss the rest of the year.

Senior Derek Fountain should hold his spot as the team’s starting power forward, capable of stretching the floor after knocking down 34.8% of his triples last year. Nevada grad transfer Will Baker should earn the starting center job and give LSU a five-out look at times as he shot 37.5% of his past two years with the Wolf Pack. Both players will have to improve on the boards for the Tigers to compete with the physicality of the SEC, as neither has averaged more than 5.5 in any season of their respective careers.

Sophomore forward Jalen Reed will remain a fixture in the frontcourt rotation after making 11 starts last year. Kentucky transfer Daimion Collins will get a much-needed reset after struggling to find a role the past two seasons with the Wildcats. George Washington grad transfer Hunter Dean gives the group some extra experience and four-star freshman forward Corey Chest Jr. could see playing time as well.

Missouri needed a 19-point comeback to take down LSU in last year’s road matchup, winding up with a 81-76 victory. If McMahon is able to optimize the talent on this season’s roster, Mizzou likely won’t be able to afford another slow start this year.