LOOKING FACE TO FACE WITH AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEAGUE | LSU’s SEC HOOPS PREVIEW

Hand up. I let myself get excited. That’s on me.

LSU rolled into 2026 looking like an absolute wagon. We are sitting pretty at 12–1, stacking Ws, vibes are at an all-time high, and I’m already looking up flight prices for the Final Four. Then the calendar flipped to January and the Basketball Gods looked down at Baton Rouge and said, “Oh, you guys are having fun? That’s cute. Watch this.”

Welcome to SEC play, where happiness goes to die and every Tuesday night is a knife fight in a phone booth.

The SEC Is Actually A Horror Movie Now

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the league is deeper than the Mariana Trench. Vanderbilt is 13-0 (the nerds are actually good, I’m sick), Kentucky and Florida are back, and Texas and Oklahoma are here just to make the room more crowded. There are no nights off. It’s 18 games of warfare against guys who look like tight ends but shoot like Steph Curry.

The Injury Report: I Am Going To Throw Up

We haven't even tipped off the first conference game and the roster is already held together by duct tape and prayers.

• Jalen Reed (Out for the Year): Pure pain. For the second year in a row, Reed is done—torn Achilles. We aren't "small" without him—we've still got length—but we lost our veteran anchor.

• Dedan Thomas Jr. (Doubtful): Thomas is the heartbeat. 16.2 points, 7 assists. If he’s not playing against Texas A&M, we are basically sending the boys into a war zone with a squirt gun.

The "Vets" Have To Be Stars: Sutton and Mackinnon

If we’re going to survive the SEC gauntlet, our seniors have to be the best players on the floor. Period.

• Marquel Sutton: This guy has been an absolute godsend. The Summit League Player of the Year didn't come here to sit on the bench. He’s averaging 14.2 points and nearly 10 boards a game. With Reed out, Sutton is our "Relentless Effort" guy. He’s 6’9”, he’s versatile, and he can score inside and out. We need him to be the physical force that keeps the SEC bullies out of our paint.

• Max Mackinnon: We don't need Max to drop 43 points every night, but we need him to be the "Australian Sniper." Efficiency is the name of the game. If he's hitting his shots, it forces the defense to stay out on the perimeter, which gives guys like Sutton room to work. If he goes cold, the floor shrinks, and everything gets a lot harder.

The Rest of the Rotation (No Excuses)

• The Bigs (Robert Miller III & Mike Nwoko): It is officially time to grow up. Miller is a sophomore now—the talent is there, but he’s gotta be the anchor. Nwoko needs to be a human brick wall. We don't need 30 points; we need you to rebound everything.

• The Backcourt (Jalen Reece & Rashad King): If Thomas is out, Jalen Reece is the pilot. He’s a freshman, but he’s got the keys now. He and Rashad King have to stay composed because SEC guards will smell blood in the water the second we get sloppy.

• The Wing (Pablo Tamba): We need Tamba to be an absolute menace. Defensive stops, energy buckets, just being annoying.

The Schedule: A Literal Death March

January: The "Please Just Survive" Tour

• @ Texas A&M (Jan 3): Road opener. No Reed. Probably no Thomas. Reed Arena is a cult meeting. Auto-fade.

• South Carolina: Must win. Non-negotiable.

• @ Vandy: I refuse to accept they are 13-0 until I see it.

• Kentucky: The PMAC needs to be electric.

The Verdict

The non-conference run was a blast, but the margin for error is now zero. Without Jalen Reed, the paint is vulnerable because we lack experience. If Dedan Thomas Jr. gets back and the duo of Sutton and Mackinnon plays like the seasoned vets they are, we can scrap our way to a tournament bid.

Whatever. Tigers by 90.