Report: LSU, Will Wade receives Notice of Allegations from NCAA

According to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, the LSU Tigers have received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding basketball head coach Will Wade. The process is still a few months away from being resolved in a case that began all the way back in 2017.

Wade was caught on FBI wiretaps talking about a “strong-ass offer” extended to former On3 Consensus four-star prospect Javonte Smart. The guard ended up playing three seasons for LSU, averaging exactly 13 points per game, before going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft.

Forde reached out to the university about the Notice of Allegations but LSU did not “acknowledge” they had received them. From there, he laid out exactly what could happen to Wade if LSU is charged with a “major” violation.

“LSU officials did not acknowledge receipt of the NOA when contacted by SI on Tuesday,” Forde said in his report. “The NOA originated from the Complex Case Unit of the Independent Accountability Review Process—the so-called ‘off ramp’ for more complicated and contentious NCAA investigations. If head coach Will Wade is charged with a major violation, he could be terminated with cause, according to a contract amendment he agreed to in April 2019.”

If Wade does end up getting fired by LSU, the program will be searching for a head coach for the first time since after the 2016-2017 season. Wade replaced Johnny Jones, who only made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament during a five-year stretch.

On the court, LSU will begin play in the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon, awaiting the winner of the Missouri-Ole Miss first-round game. Wade has the Tigers positioned to make the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive time, making it as far as the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.

Two LSU Tigers named to All-SEC team

With the SEC Tournament less than 24 hours away from being tipped off, they announced the first and second all-conference teams on Tuesday. Two LSU players made the list after ending the season on a high note with a home win against the Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime

Check out the full teams, plus the individual awards here.

First Team

JD Notae, Arkansas
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Tari Eason, LSU
Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

Second Team

Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Colin Castleton, Florida
TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky
Darius Days, LSU
Kobe Brown, Missouri
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Quenton Jackson, Texas A&M