It's Basketball Season! Tigers Start Season Monday At Home
BATON ROUGE – The LSU Basketball team opens its 2023-24 season Monday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center against Mississippi Valley State University.
The game will tip just after 7 p.m. Tickets, starting at $10, are available at LSUtix.net and on game night beginning at 6 p.m. at the upper concourse windows of the Maravich Center.
The game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Guaranty Media flagship Eagle 98.1 FM) with the Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair and former LSU head coach John Brady on the call. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Lyn Rollins and Victor Howell on the call.
LSU students are admitted free with their student IDs and they will receive “Boot Up” t-shirts.
The Tigers will have a different look and some of that was on display in LSU’s 132-44 exhibition win over Louisiana Christian a week ago. Against the NAIA school, the Tigers showed the possibilities that will give the Tigers a chance to score more and be more efficient with their shot selection.
As of Sunday, the Tigers will be without Jalen Cook, the transfer from Tulane, who has not been cleared to play by the NCAA. Derek Fountain, Trae Hannibal and Hunter Dean were listed as day-to-day with minor issues after missing the exhibition game last week.
“Obviously very excited to get to open our season at home here in the PMAC on Monday,” said LSU Coach Matt McMahon. “Every year stands on its own. I don’t really live in the past of the disappointment of a year ago. We have an experience team this season. We have a group of players that have produced at a high level individually and also coming from some winning programs. Our returning players have a really good understanding of what we are trying to accomplish as a team. I love our team and excited about the opportunities ahead for our group.”
Seven Tigers were in double figures in scoring in the exhibition game with Jordan Wright, the Vanderbilt grad student scoring 22 points. Sophomore Tyrell Ward posted 19, senior Mwani Wilkinson had 17, Kentucky transfer Daimion Collins 15, grad student from Nevada Will Baker had 14 points, Baton Rouge native and Santa Clara transfer Carlos Stewart scored 12 and sophomore Jalen Reed posted 11 points.
The Tigers have won nine straight season openers dating back to a 2013 loss at UMass to open the 2013-14 season and LSU has not lost a season opening game at home since the opener to the 1986-87 season against TCU in the preseason NIT.
This is the first of two home games this week as LSU will host Nicholls on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center.
Updates during the game will be available throughout the game on the LSU Basketball social media sites.