LSU's Will Wade misses SEC basketball media day because of weather

LSU men's basketball coach Will Wade will not be at SEC media day on Tuesday. Bad weather kept him and the Tigers' group from making the trip, ESPN's Myron Medcalf reported, according to On3.

The missed appearance pushes back one of the more anticipated sessions of the league's preseason basketball event. Wade is getting ready for his first season since returning to Baton Rouge, and a lot of people want to hear from him. On3 notes there is plenty to ask him about, starting with a roster that is still being put together.

Until recently, LSU did not list enough players on its online roster to field a starting five. As of Tuesday morning the Tigers listed 10 players, with the season close. Skyy Clark, Salio Niang, Brice Dessert and Gilad Levy were among the recent official additions. All four traveled with the team to Lake Charles last week for a preseason scrimmage against McNeese, but none of them played.

LSU won that scrimmage 63-60 anyway, even though five players handled most of the minutes. Afterward, Wade said his players were stuck behind others in the clearance queue. He pointed out that athletes who had played on the same teams as his newcomers, and who earned more money, were already being cleared at other schools. He said the program has all of the relevant contracts and expected its players to be cleared soon. He thinks a couple more will be added this week and a couple more before the Florida State game. Once that happens, Wade said, "It'll be hell on wheels," according to comments On3 cited from The Bengal Tiger.

On3 said its report would be updated, and it did not say whether Wade would speak to the media another way.

LSU football's weekend

The basketball program's trouble getting there is separate from the football team's week, but it is a busy one in Baton Rouge. No. 22 LSU (4-2) hosts No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1) on Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon Eastern on ESPN and Disney+.

By record, the visitors come in a game better, but the market sees the matchup differently. LSU is favored at -471 on Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, with the spread at LSU -14.5 and the total at 58.5. The best sportsbook price on the Tigers is -525 at BetMGM. Full prices are on the Mississippi State at LSU odds page.

The ranked SEC matchup comes at a key point for both teams. LSU wants to stop a two-loss start from getting worse, and Mississippi State gets a chance to show its 4-1 record is real against a ranked opponent on the road. The winner will have a stronger claim to staying in the poll's top 25 heading into the second half of the season.