LSU men’s basketball made head coach Will Wade’s return to the PMAC dramatic. A back-and-forth game ended with Donovan Dent and Mo Dioubate’s electric final baskets, putting LSU over UCF 85-81.

The Tigers played even fewer guys than they did in their last exhibition at McNeese, only putting six guys on the floor. Wade once again kept his starters in for almost the entire game.

It looks like we haven’t seen much from LSU, but the Tigers have bested two teams who made the 2026 NCAA tournament. Here are four takeaways from LSU’s second exhibition and Wade’s homecoming.

Confi-Dent guard play will take LSU’s offense far

UCLA transfer and newly-eligible fifth year point guard Donovan Dent didn’t have a great first showing in an LSU uniform. Against UCF Wednesday, almost all of his first-half stats exceeded his game totals from last week’s game at McNeese.

“[It’s] just kind of keeping that mindset, like, you know you’re a good player, and just staying in the routine, staying consistent in what you’re doing,” Dent said.

Dent, who scored 21, assisted 11 and grabbed nine boards, played a fluid game on both ends of the court. After a slow first few minutes, LSU was able to move well on the offensive end in his direction. He also flew around on defense, having three steals, three blocks and closing quick on 3-point shots.

“I thought he was really engaged tonight,” Wade said. “He drew 13 fouls. He basically fouled two guys out himself.”

His increased aggression showcased him as the show-runner he was at UCLA.

Behind him, Michigan State transfer Divine Ugochukwu and Kansas State transfer Abdi Bashir Jr. have offered solid supplemental help.

Bashir’s 3-point shooting ability is what made him an attractive grab for the Tigers. Wade told reporters Tuesday that the staff would “trust his shot,” and Bashir righted his wrongs. He made 6-of-12 shots behind the arc against UCF.

“I just got back in my routine,” Bashir said. “The McNeese game was my first game back, probably since January, so I kind of had to get my feet back under things.”

The second half upturn that Bashir had against UCF displayed his game-swinging ability, as he scored a team-high 26 points.

Ugochukwu had a slow first half Wednesday after a big game from the field against McNeese. He was LSU’s point guard for less than two minutes in the first half. Wade was quick to sub Dent back in when Ugochukwu had some trouble managing the floor.

“Divine’s played some point guard, and he’s somebody that we have a lot of belief in,” Wade said. “He’s somebody that’ll play point guard for us as well.”

He found success setting screens and moving UCF’s big men out of the way for Dent and Michael Ruzic.

Ruzic is key to success all over floor

20-year-old Croatian freshman Ruzic is one of the youngest members of the Tigers, but his experience against pros overseas has him looking like a veteran.

The 7-footer is LSU’s only big man to see the floor so far this preseason due to eligibility issues. Even while facing cramps and general exhaustion, Ruzic has been his guards’ go-to for dump-offs in the paint.

“He’s been awesome,” Wade said. “Stretched the floor early, hit the transition three, can drive. He just sets great screens.”

LSU beat UCF in the paint primarily with the help of Ruzic. The Tigers scored 36 points in the paint to the Knight’s 34. He also opened up the offense with his continuous screens, being rewarded with his team making 10-of-26 deep shots on the night.

Ruzic was LSU’s most reliable defender.

Clean paint protection by LSU’s Michael Ruzic.

The 7-footer is the only center playing vs. UCF and only has 2 fouls in 27 minutes https://t.co/gwIxFqhATB

— Toyloy Brown III (@TJ3rd_) October 15, 2026

He blocked four shots and grabbed 13 boards in the game while trying to do it all. His help should be coming in the form of more international centers, should they be deemed eligible.

Eligibility fiasco is not over

While this remained true coming into the game, it looked like some questions had been cleared up prior to tip-off with international players Brice Dessert and Saliou being featured on the roster.

UCLA transfer Skyy Clark appeared on the roster for both exhibitions, but hasn’t played since his fifth-year of eligibility is still in limbo with the courts. The exclusion of these players from the floor still makes LSU an unfinished team in competition.

“I would love to update you, but because all my words are being used against us, I’m not going to,” Wade said.

The 6-foot-11-inch Dessert is LSU’s biggest missing piece on the defensive end. The Frenchman has elite rebounding and play-stuffing ability — two things LSU is heavily lacking with its guard-heavy preseason attack.

Even with the positive results, it’s hard to fully assess a squad that has only seen six guys play more than four minutes.

Permeable defense is hampering Tigers

The eligibility issues play a big part here. LSU only having seriously played one center all preseason has allowed teams more opportunities to shoot over LSU’s shorter guards.

Wade said before the season that defensive rebounding was going to be the biggest issue for LSU. UCF had 17 offensive rebounds to LSU’s nine, and also had more second chance points.

This has been killing the Tigers on the perimeter. UCF made 34% of its 32 attempted 3-pointers. Dent and Ruzic closed out and defended the long shot the best, but ball movement on the arc has been easy without length from the Tigers.

The lack of solid team chemistry also reared its head a few times early. The defense missed some assignments while trying to switch around screens. The team has only been practicing together for six weeks and still have one more exhibition game left.

“We’re building connection as we’re playing through the game. So you guys have seen us build live connection,” Dent said. “So it’s actually really cool.”

The Tigers take the court for one last time before the season opener, playing Florida State in Tallahassee on Oct. 24 at noon.