Each year, many of LSU’s athletic teams begin their respective seasons with the same themes plastered on every sports article and social media timeline.
Players hear the pundits talk about how tough the Southeastern Conference is this year, and read in the local papers about how this year’s highly ranked recruiting class will impact the team. Excitement and anticipation among fans builds, and it’s a safe bet that stadiums and arenas will be packed with purple and gold faithful at the arrival of the opening contest.
This has been the classic tale for LSU’s most popular teams like football, baseball and gymnastics. Each of those teams has reached a remarkable following at both the local and national level thanks to a special combination of passionate fans and successful teams.
While it would be nice to have every LSU team enjoy the thrill that comes from the final few weeks of preseason speculation, there are inherent obstacles between the attention of the world and the sport being played.
Highlights of the LSU soccer team’s penalty shootout win against Boston University in round one of the NCAA tournament is not something ESPN would ever lead off with no matter how thrilling, and I would assume that many Tiger fans were unaware that soccer was currently in season until the team won the SEC Tournament. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality of our sports culture.
There are also some LSU teams that had a tradition of exciting fans before falling on hard times. The LSU men’s basketball team falls into that category. As the SEC began to produce more consistent competitors in the NCAA tournament, the Tigers fell behind.
Fans lost their passion for following a basketball team that struggled to be competitive, and the national media began to focus its attention toward more relevant programs.
However, today’s expectations for the Tigers are much different than years past. LSU’s basketball team once again entered the realm of preseason relevancy thanks to the promising youth of last season’s team along with coach Will Wade’s intense approach.
The Tigers were picked to finish as the No. 6 team in the SEC and began the year as the AP No. 23 team. While those might not be eye-popping expectations to some, they certainly are improved from last year when LSU was picked to finish last in conference.
LSU beat those expectations by finishing as the No. 10 team in the conference thanks to household names like All-SEC freshman Tremont Waters and explosive guard Skylar Mays.
To compliment last year’s talented young squad, Wade pieced together a recruiting class ranked No. 4 in the country that feature promising stars like Naz Reid, Emmitt Williams, Ja’Vonte Smart and Darius Days.
The PMAC buzzed with new life as fans filled the seats for LSU’s opener against Southeastern, and the venue will undoubtedly fill to capacity when the team enters conference play.
While higher expectations are signs of an improving program, pressure is sure to follow. LSU basketball will have to match the surrounding excitement with equal, if not higher, results. That’s a lot to place on the shoulders of a young team, but I believe Wade and the Tigers are up for the challenge. If this team finds enough success in a competitive conference and avoids surprises in the non-conference portion of the schedule, it will once again be possible to fill out an LSU March Madness bracket in the spring.
