On Oct. 1, the LSU Tigers had only four eligible players on their 2026-27 basketball roster. That number increased to 10 for their exhibition vs. McNeese State, but remained in flux until Tuesday afternoon. Now, they finally have settled on a full cast.
Following yesterday’s news regarding RJ Luis Jr., Salou Niang and Brice Dessert, the Tigers unveiled their 2026-27 roster on Wednesday. Will Wade’s team will field 14 players this season, with the traditional 15th spot seemingly biting the bullet because Luis was deemed ineligible.
Former New Mexico and UCLA guard Donovan Dent will be the engine of this year’s Tiger team. Skyy Clark should serve as his primary backcourt mate, with Niang, Mo Dioubate and Dessert rounding out the starting five.
While Luis would have been a nice get, Dessert being eligible is the bigger coup for LSU. His presence gives the Tigers four 7-footers, but only Croatian center Michael Ruzic has played real minutes on a regular basis amongst he, Strake Pearson and Gilad Levy. Had Dessert not been able to play, interior depth and size would have been a real issue for LSU, whose next tallest player is Dioubate (6-foot-8).
The Tigers play their third and final exhibition of the offseason on Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles (1:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra).
