With looming NCAA sanctions, LSU basketball has ZERO remaining players

While the Kentucky Wildcats basketball roster for next season is filled with uncertainty, LSU’s roster is filled with nothing. Literally.

With sophomore Mwani Wilkinson entering the transfer portal yesterday, LSU has ZERO remaining players from this past team. On top of that, all four verbal commitments for 2022 and 2023 have decommitted. Here is a quick breakdown.

Transfer Portal

• Brandon Murray (10.0 PPG)
• Xavier Pinson (9.8 PPG) (Kentucky has reached out to in 2022)
• Eric Gaines (9.0 PPG)
• Efton Reid (6.3 PPG) (Former 5-star recruit and UK target in 2021)
• Mwani Wilkinson (4.0 PPG)
• Fudge (3.3 PPG)
• Shareef O’Neal (2.9 PPG) (Chose UCLA over Kentucky in 2018)
• Justice Williams (1.7 PPG)
• Bradley Ezewiro (1.6 PPG)
• Jerrell Colbert (0.5 PPG)
• Adam Miller (missed season with injury, Kentucky has reached out to in 2022)

NBA Draft

• Tari Eason (16.9 PPG)
• Darius Days (13.7 PPG)

Decommitments

• Julian Phillips (No. 11 in 2022)
• Yohan Traore (No. 36 in 2022)
• Devin Ree (No. 78 in 2022)
• Marvel Allen (No. 14 in 2023)

This ultimately comes as a result of the NCAA handing down a Notice of Allegations to LSU, which included seven Level I violations and one Level II violation for the basketball program. That led to the firing of head coach Will Wade prior to the NCAA Tournament (about time), as he was tied to five Level I violations.

Unfortunately for Wade’s replacement, former Murray State head coach Matt McMahon, it looks like the sanctions are coming, and he will be building completely from scratch.

However, it looks like McMahon knew that coming in, saying, “I want people who want to be here, want people who want to be a part of something special because that’s what we’re gonna build here.”

He looks to be off to a good start landing three transfers, one high school recruit, and bringing two players from Murray State, Justice Hill and Trae Hannibal.

With the NCAA seemingly closing in to make final decisions on schools like LSU and Memphis, one should expect that other schools like Louisville, Kansas, and Arizona have consequences on the horizon as well.