SEC Basketball: Top storylines for teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament

By Dakota Cox | Mar 18, 2019

BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Head coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers calls a play during the second half of a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU won the game 66 - 55. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 16: Head coach Wade of LSU while at VCU. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

1. Can LSU win without Will Wade as their coach?

Most of you have probably heard of the controversy surrounding LSU head coach Will Wade. After a FBI wiretap caught him making comments about making offers to recruits, he was suspended indefinitely by LSU. This news was abrupt, and it left the SEC community stunned. Now, with very little notice, LSU has to figure out how they can win without Wade as their head coach.

So far, it hasn’t looked that great. Their loss to Florida was a tough one for fans to watch. Florida is a Tournament team, but they are not a top seed by any stretch. They will have to beat teams that are much better than the Gators if they want to make a deep run this year.

LSU has two things in their favor, however. First, they got Javonte Smart back. Smart was originally suspended in this investigation, but was reinstated before the Florida game. He will be a key piece in how teams match up against LSU, and his loss would’ve made an early upset even more likely.

The second thing that LSU has going for them is the fact that their bracket is fairly soft. I think LSU would consider a Sweet Sixteen birth a success, and their toughest potential opponent to get there would be Maryland. The Terrapins could easily be upset, so their path might get easier. However, they can’t sleep on this Yale team in the first round. Personally, I see the Sweet Sixteen as their ceiling unless Michigan State gets upset early on.

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