The Will Wade is officially underway after a 99-59 win over Alcorn State in front of a record-setting crowd on Friday.

The big star of the night was freshman guard Tremont Waters, who dazzled, finishing with 27 points in his collegiate debut.

“The last two weeks [Waters] has been phenomenal in practice,” LSU HC Will Wade said. “Obviously he scored 27 points, but to get 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals… that’s a heck of a stat line right there.”

Brandon Sampson added 10 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.

The largest stat of the night, though, was the attendance. 11,856 Tiger fans showed up to the PMAC, the largest number for a season opener in over 20 years.

“To have almost 12,000 people in here was awesome,” Wade said. “It was a leap of faith. It was a leap of faith to come tonight. This guy’s been talking all this stuff for eight months. Is this thing for real, or what?

“We’re not gonna win every game, that’s not the way it goes. But I think you saw a real workmanlike effort. I think the LSU people, the people of Louisiana respect that.”