By BEN LOVE
On Thursday the schedule dropped for the 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge on the hardwood, a battle of the two conferences to be waged Jan. 27.
Ten SEC teams were included for the annual showcase. Four were not.
Guess which side of the fence LSU basketball is on?
The Bayou Bengals join Mississippi State, Auburn and Missouri on the outside-looking-in, a clear declaration from the TV-driven powers that be that LSU hoops won’t move the needle in its current state.
All of which illustrates the challenge ahead for first-year LSU head coach Will Wade, namely returning the program to relevancy.
Winning consistently will do that. Wade continues to restructure the Tigers’ roster to be more competitive right away, which is an almost certainty given last season’s two-win output in league play.
With any fortune, and a lot of hard work, LSU will be in the “in” crowd when future schedules are made.