SEC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Brian Rauf | Jun 26, 2018

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats speaks to PJ Washington #25 in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 21: Tremont Waters #3 of the LSU Tigers tries to aviod Temple ‘T.J.’ Gibbs Jr. #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as he shoots during the second half of their game during the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

4. LSU Tigers

Of all the “breakout” teams both in the SEC and in the entire country, I like LSU to have as much success (if not more success) than any of them.

Head coach Will Wade is one of the best young coaches in the sport and appears ready to turn this program around quickly in Year 2 of his tenure.

Wade’s recruiting prowess landed the Tigers a top-five recruiting class headlined by five-star forwards Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams. Both players bring some physicality and explosiveness to the game with Reid being able to handle the ball and play on the perimeter, making him a nightmare matchup for opponents.

However, I think the biggest reason why LSU will have an uber-successful 2018-19 season is because of Tremont Waters. The 5-11, 170-pounder was one of the best players you didn’t hear about during his excellent freshman campaign, averaging 15.9 points and 6.0 assists per game. His range, shooting ability, and vision had some comparing him to Trae Young, and while he was nowhere near as effective as a freshman, he showed flashes of that ability.

Of course, LSU now has a much better supporting cast around Waters. They have multiple stars and have more than one player who is capable of carrying them, which will only help everyone as they buy into Wade’s system.

This group does have some similarities to the Ben Simmons-led team in 2015-16 that fell short of lofty expectations, but Wade’s ability to maximize the talent he has leads me to believe that this breakout season will actually come to fruition for the Tigers.

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