In a year sports oddities, get ready for another: LSU basketball joins turkey and football on the Thanksgiving menu.
The Tigers tip off a delayed 2020 season at 6 p.m. against SIU Edwardsville with several new faces, including one with a very familiar name.
Scroll below for all the broadcast info, storylines and more ahead of Tigers basketball.
BROADCAST/GAME INFO
- WHO: SIU-Edwardsville vs. LSU
- WHEN: 6 p.m. (CST)
- WHAT: The Billiken Classic
- WHERE: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
- TV/STREAMING: ESPN+ (subscription required)
- RADIO: LSU Sports Radio Network, 98.1 in Baton Rouge; 105.3 in New Orleans (click here for more info)
WHAT TO KNOW
The LSU basketball opener opener has been delayed twice, and it'll be the first time the Tigers take part in live action since early March. Click here for a breakdown of the new season's roster, key info on the schedule, SEC and more.
Yes, the 2020 LSU men's basketball tips off on Thanksgiving. Not quite ready? Here's what to know before tipoff.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
What is a Billiken? It's, uh ... we'll let St. Louis University explain that one. But the Billiken Classic is where the Tigers will take on SIU Edwardsville. Here's a breakdown of the matchup and more.
Ready to go: LSU basketball team set for twice-delayed opener on Thursday night vs. SIU Edwardsville
In a year in which the word normalcy has become just about extinct, the LSU basketball team will try to regain some Thanksgiving night.
A NEW O'NEAL
There will be a lot of change for LSU basketball in the 2020 season, but there will also be a blast from the past. Shareef O'Neal, the son of the legendary former Tigers star Shaquille O'Neal, will make his debut after his transfer from UCLA. And he'll do it in the No. 32, which he revealed is a tribute to Kobe Bryant (once you do a bit of math). Here's how.
The name on the back of Shareef O'Neal's LSU jersey will elicit memories of his father, but the number beneath is meant for another basketball…
IT COULD BE WORSE
Believe it or not, with all the challenges posed by a new college basketball season amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, LSU basketball is in better shape than most. The Advocate sports columnist Scott Rabalais breaks down why, and what he expects for the Tigers going forward.
If there is anything certain about our world right at the moment it is uncertainty. Especially when it comes to sports.
WHAT ABOUT COVID?
The challenges for LSU in 2020 will not only be faced on the floor. The coronavirus pandemic means questions and concern all across the college basketball landscape in terms of player health and adequate testing to mitigate risk and stave off outbreaks among the players, coaches and team personnel. So how will LSU address those concerns? Longtime trainer Shawn Eddy talked about some of the processes in place, and what the LSU team will do in the midst of so many new and complex challenges.
Like a lot of other people dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Shawn Eddy has for the past six months been facing the challenge of his prof…
BACK ON TRACK WITH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Despite a name that sounds more like bureaucracy than basketball, LSU coach Will Wade has expressed confidence that his new "leadership council" will help his team course-correct from some of the challenges seen in covid-shortened 2019-'20 season. Here's more on where that idea came from, who's on it and what it means for the Tigers going forward.
Soon after the abrupt end to his third season as LSU’s basketball coach in March, Will Wade came to the realization that his team’s defense wa…