Rapid Reaction: VCU spoils Will Wade’s homecoming by beating LSU
By Adam Spencer
Published:
No. 23 LSU hit the road on Wednesday night, heading to Richmond to take on a tough VCU squad.
LSU coach Will Wade used to coach at VCU, so it was a homecoming for him. And, what a rude homecoming it was, as the Tigers fell 84-82.
Some VCU fans dressed as FBI agents and sat near the LSU bench, trolling Wade all night long:
Love seeing the FBI costumes for Will Wade's return to VCU. @VCURamNation pic.twitter.com/RIna2Bzqiy
— Elliott Schwartz (@elliosch) November 13, 2019
Wade’s Tigers were also forced into 12 first-half turnovers by the Rams and it didn’t get better in the second half.
This game showed exactly how much the Tigers miss PG Tremont Waters, who is now with the Boston Celtics’ G-League team. Down the stretch, LSU didn’t have a go-to guy, and as mentioned above, the ball-handling woes were costly.
Skylar Mays was fun to watch, as he led the Tigers with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to get over the hump. Freshman big man Trendon Watford added 11 points and Javonte Smart had 15 points. The problem? Smart had 7 turnovers, Watford had 6 and Mays had 6.
Mays tried to play hero ball in the final seconds, missing a shot and having one blocked in the final 15 seconds. However, the Tigers got the ball with 10 seconds left and gave it back to Mays, who missed a third shot. He then committed a sixth turnover just before the buzzer.
The Tigers coughed the ball up 25 times on the night, which, obviously, makes it very tough to win a game.
LSU falls to 1-1 with the loss. However, on Nov. 22, the Tigers play No. 17 Utah State, so they still have a chance to pick up a quality nonconference victory.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
