The standard has been reset. Not set. Reset. For the four years following Will Wade’s departure, moral victories and 40-point wins over Texas Southern or Stetson (no offense) were enough. Now, trailing by just three points five minutes in is enough for Wade to berate this team at the next timeout. Rightfully so. At that point, the Tigers were getting out-rebounded and out-physicalled.

Despite turning things around after the timeout and a 92-51 victory, there is still a fair amount that needs to get corrected before Monday when the Tigers host Louisiana Tech, much less before their trip to Spokane to play Gonzaga on Saturday and SEC play after the first of the year.

“Shoot, you watched us play tonight; we’ve got a big one Monday against Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech is going to play hard… They are the best of these three outfits that we have played, so can’t worry about Gonzaga. We’ll end up at Gonzaga 2-1. It’s going to take everything we’ve got to beat Louisiana Tech the way we have been playing… We ain’t good enough to look ahead right now,” Wade said when asked about traveling to face Gonzaga.

For starters, LSU is shooting 24% from beyond the 3-point line right now. Only two players have matched or even come near their career percentage from beyond the arc this season, and that would be Abdi Bashir Jr., who is shooting 38.9% through two games and has a career percentage of 38.6%, and Mo Dioubate, who is shooting 50%, making two from four attempts on the season, but has a career percentage of 29.9%. In fact, only four of the eight players who have attempted a 3-pointer have been able to make one so far this season. If the Tigers are to improve, players like Skyy Clark have to find their rhythm and start converting.

“We’ve got some good shooters; we just haven’t made them. You saw what Skyy did at Florida State,” Wade said.

That struggle has not been limited to threes; the Tigers have also struggled from the free-throw line, converting on just 66%. They are also struggling with turnovers, giving the ball away 26 times, with the outlier being Donovan Dent, who has 20 assists on the season without a turnover. Fouls have also been a big issue. They are out-fouling opponents 42-36. Neither of those stats is encouraging considering the level of competition they have faced so far.

Additionally, Wade highlighted high-profile international addition Brice Dessert as someone who will continue to improve as the season continues, noting that he will improve in more organized games as opposed to the "raggedy" and chaotic early-season matchups.

“Look, I’ve got to put Brice in better positions. He’s still adjusting. Brice is a really good player. He hasn’t played as good as he is capable of playing,” Wade said. “He’s going to be fine… he’s built a little bit more for SEC play than some of these games. He is much better when you get into a half-court game. A set game, where we are going to guard their set, and they are going to guard our set. He’s much better in that type of environment.”

For the team as a whole, practice for the Tigers will certainly be difficult as they prepare for two tough battles, but Wade also wants to fix the mentality of his experienced unit.

“Look, we’ve got a veteran team; sometimes veteran teams think they can just flip it on and off. You can't just turn it on and off and just play, so that’s not how this works, and now, with the way college basketball is, every possession matters.”

There are some bright spots in this 2-0 team despite the aforementioned issues. LSU is dominating the interior. The Tigers are out-rebounding opponents 103 to 67 on the season with 50 to 29 on Friday. LSU had more than five times the number of points Texas Southern had in the paint, 62-12.

Additionally, three Tigers recorded double-doubles, with Saliou Niang, Donovan Dent, and Michael Ruzic all reaching the feat. Niang had 15 points with 11 rebounds, adding two assists and three steals. Dent had 10 assists, as mentioned, along with 10 points and four blocks. Ruzic scored 12 points, had 11 rebounds, one assist, and two blocked shots. While not breaking into the double-double club, Abdi Bashir scored 15 points and shot 4/9 from beyond the arc, while Mo Dioubate scored 13 points and Divine Ugochukwu added 10 as well. A great team effort, but with his +40 contribution, Michael Ruzic gets the game ball.

“I love him. He just works so hard. He does everything you ask him to do; he’s one of our hardest workers. He’s a phenomenal talent. He’s got all the work ethic; he’s got all the other stuff that goes with it,” Wade said of Ruzic.

The schedule for LSU does not get any easier this week, with Louisiana Tech on Monday in the PMAC, who just beat Arkansas-Monticello 76-17, and basketball powerhouse Gonzaga on the road on Saturday.

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