LSU defeated Louisiana Tech 90-50 on Monday night, and emotions surely boiled over at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The LSU Tigers dominated for most of the game, judged from the fact that they trailed only for 10 seconds and even built a lead as large as 55 points at one point during the non-conference matchup. However, an incident between the two teams led to officials being involved, grabbing attention long after the game had ended.

Emotions ran high in the second half as both teams turned up the physical intensity. A scuffle posted to X prompted officials to assess technical fouls on Louisiana Tech’s Ethan Blackmon, alongside LSU’s Mo Dioubate and Divine Ugochukwu. Following the stoppage, Dioubate registered consecutive field goal conversions before his disqualification via a fifth personal foul.

Shooting 56 percent from the field, LSU secured the victory by restricting the Bulldogs to a season-low 50 points, forcing them into shooting only 32% from the field. The LSU Tigers also punished their opponents’ mistakes, establishing a 38-10 advantage in points off turnovers and a 21-2 margin in fast-break points.

The game also provided clarity for the LSU Tigers’ reserve rotation, highlighting productive bench performances from center Michael Ruzic and guard Abdi Bashir Jr.

Led by Ruzic and Bashir, LSU’s bench produced 40 points, only slightly trailing Louisiana Tech’s overall team total. Mo Dioubate led the starting five with 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Donovan Dent added 12 points and five assists, and Skyy Clark scored nine points and added five steals. Coach Will Wade also shed some light on the team’s bench usage.

“Look, we’ve got eight starters; all those guys can start,” Wade said, per the Daily Advertiser. “Those guys can all start for a lot of teams. I thought Divine’s (Ugochukwu) a great finisher. Abdi obviously made four 3s tonight. Ruzic was his normal self. Those guys gave us 40 points, which was huge, but we expect that because we’ve got a lot of depth.”

Bashir currently leads the LSU Tigers with 11 made 3-pointers this season. He concluded the Louisiana Tech matchup shooting nearly 40 percent from the three-point range. But he also believes there are others on the team who can add lethality from the deep for this team.

“We’re a good three-point shooting team,” Bashir said. “Obviously, we’re so dominant in the paint that we don’t need to rely on 3s, but when we get open looks, we got guys that can knock them down. I believe in Skyy more than anybody else on the team to knock them down. And it’s only a matter of time before he goes like 6-for-6 from deep in one game.”

LSU’s 40-point victories over New Orleans, Texas Southern, and a Sun Belt opponent provide limited value for its hopes of going deep this season. Head coach Will Wade’s team faces its first major non-conference test Saturday afternoon against Gonzaga in Spokane.

Under head coach Mark Few since 1999, Gonzaga has reached 27 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including nine straight Sweet 16 appearances from 2015 to 2024. The Bulldogs, the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Pac-12, host LSU for a marquee matchup in Spokane.

Defeating No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday will require LSU to replicate its recent bench production by Ruzic, Bashir, and the broader reserve rotation. And Coach Wade is cognizant of this.

“We’re going to need to be much better,” Wade said. “Getting out of the little kiddie pool without our floaters on, and we’re going into the deep end. So we’re going to have to be much improved on Saturday.”

Only time will tell how the LSU Tigers’ next game pans out. They will enter the game as definite underdogs, with a 10.8% win probability.