Paul Finebaum believes LSU waited too long to make a decision about Will Wade, and ultimately suffered a loss in its ongoing battle with an NCAA investigation into the men’s basketball program.

LSU fired men’s Wade for cause amid “serious” allegations of NCAA violations, the university announced Saturday in a joint statement from its president and athletic director. The investigation began amid an FBI investigation into corrupt practices in college basketball that has implicated major programs including Arizona, Kansas, Louisville, Oklahoma State, North Carolina State and Auburn.

The firing comes the day after LSU was knocked out of the SEC Tournament by Arkansas, 79-67, in a quarterfinal game Friday night.

Finebaum made his weekly appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning” on WJOX out of Birmingham, Alabama.

“These are allegations, Cole, but they couldn’t be more serious,” Finebaum said. “When you throw around lack of institutional control, throw around Level 1 violation, accusations of Level 1, you’re talking about a real problem in an athletic department. It goes way back, but to me, LSU has played the long game in this, and they lost. They were hoping that somehow they’d be able to fade the heat and look the other way, and they were caught and that’s why as soon as they saw these allegations, and assuming Will Wade got home from the tournament, he was fired. He should have been fired before the tournament, quite frankly. I wouldn’t have let this guy coach another game once these allegations came in, I think on I think they were either Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Finebaum also predicted how this would affect Wade’s career.

“They’ve got a lot to answer for, nobody looks good down there,” Finebaum said. “Three years the conversation about Will Wade was all over, and LSU fans continue to defend him because he was a good basketball coach. He’s a very good basketball coach, who I don’t think will ever coach another game in college basketball based on these allegations.”