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LSU Basketball: 3 takeaways from Tigers shocking firing of Will Wade

By Tristan Freeman

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 12: Head Coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers yells to his team during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on January 12, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 94-88. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 12: Head Coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers yells to his team during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on January 12, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 94-88. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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LSU Basketball Will Wade calls in a play from the bench against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
LSU Basketball Will Wade calls in a play from the bench against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been a storyline for the past few years in college basketball, certain programs dealing with allegations regarding cheating during recruitments. The programs linked to that include Arizona, Kansas, and LSU Basketball. Some teams have received “notice of allegations” from the NCAA, which means that the disciplinary process has or will soon begin.

For LSU specifically, this hasn’t been a surprise. For years, head coach Will Wade has been linked to alleged recruiting violations that could be worth his job. But the Tigers programs had always stood by him, including giving him a recent contract extension. However, it came with a caveat that if he were to be fired “with cause”, Coach Wade wouldn’t get any money from the rest of his deal.

There wasn’t expected to be any more speculation through the current 2021-22 season, considering that LSU was set to enter the NCAA Tournament at around a 6-7 seed with a chance to make a run. However, things changed in a quick hurry on Saturday after the team lost in the SEC Tournament the night before.

Considering how close we are to Selection Sunday, this has to be one of the more shocking moves in recent memory. With the official Notice of Allegations out, with a bunch that is considered “very serious”, LSU Basketball must have felt that they had no choice but to make the move now.

There’s going to be a ton of impact of this move for the Tigers and college basketball overall, especially with a roster full of talented players that could leave and transfer without having to sit out. There’s also a top-10 incoming recruiting class that has some decisions to make as well.

Here are three takeaways I currently have from this situation.

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