After losing four of five, LSU righted the ship with a 94-80 win over Mississippi State. On today's show, we zoom in on the State victory to find building blocks for the Tigers as they approach March. That includes the complete performance of Javonte Smart, the return of Darius Days, and the role of Aundre Hyatt.  We also look at the Tigers' huge matchup with Tennessee, while taking a look back at the last four NCAA Tournaments. Each March, one team who slumped in January or February makes a run. Can the Tigers be that team in 2021?  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Boot Up: The LSU Basketball Podcast

The Bellwether

Four games into SEC play, we look back on LSU's 8-2 start to the season, the importance of Darius Days, the emergence of Eric Gaines, and how LSU's brand of small ball projects moving forward into a critical three-game homestand and beyond.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Separation Time

LSU is 4-1, fresh off an 88-66 win over Sam Houston State featuring another incredibly efficient Javonte Smart performance and the debut of defensive wunderkind Josh LeBlanc, the Tigers' junk yard dog.  After we break down the win in Will Wade's absence, we play back the tape of Boot Up's first ever live episode, recorded last Thursday via Zoom with LSU Basketball season ticket holders.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Josh LeBlanc Debuts and Boot Up Goes Live

Basketball was back in the PMAC for the first time in 268 days on Monday, the third game of the season for the Tigers.  We've learned a lot in a short time -- Trendon Watford has improved, Cameron Thomas is built for this, and the defense is a work in progress. We break down that and more on today's show, including my first scoop in a while, short-lived as it was, and a new personality (emphasis on the tea) you'll want to know. Links:  The Will Wade Show My Recap of LSU's Win Over Southeastern Boot Up TV: Episode 1 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Cameron Thomas is a Machine, Trendon Watford is a Star, and I've Got a Scoop

Despite his team winning 20 games, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, and finishing second in the SEC in 2019-20, Will Wade opted for an offseason overhaul before 2020-21. Some frank conversations with players like Javonte Smart, Darius Days, and Trendon Watford made Wade realize the Tigers had to reorganize the program. On the court, Wade took more control. Off the court, his players took more control. The result is a coach and a team as confident as they've ever been heading into Thursday's season opener against SIU-Edwardsville and Saturday's tipoff against Saint Louis.  Hear from Will Wade, Javonte Smart, and Trendon Watford ahead of a season full of as much potential as any in recent years for the Tigers.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Upstream Thinking

Skylar Mays is about to take off. The former Tiger basketball star and the greatest student-athlete in school history is ready for his next step: the NBA. Before that, we sat down with Mays (in June) for a conversation about his time at LSU. His story is full of heartbreak, triumph, resilience, and determination. No one has had to overcome more than Skylar. No one has been able to achieve more than Skylar. Enjoy one final conversation with an LSU legend before his NBA career begins in full. Sky is the Limit: Episode 1  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

Skylar Mays on His Journey to LSU and Beyond

New season, new theme song, new team to break down. Will Wade met with the media Tuesday to discuss his 2020-21 roster, some big changes defensively, the depth of this year's team, the status of the schedule, and much more. We break it all down on today's episode. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review, and share the podcast with your friends ahead of a new season.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/boot-up/message

All the Pieces Matter

A top-five class (that may not be finished) has Will Wade thinking his next team could be his best team. Coach Wade joins the show today to break down LSU's 2020 hoops class, currently ranked No. 5 nationally. The group features the son of an LSU legend (Shareef O'Neal), the best scoring guard in the country (Cameron Thomas), a point guard with Tremont Waters' passing ability and explosive length (Eric Gaines), Louisiana's Mr. Basketball (Jalen Cook), a 17-year-old high-flyer from Vegas (Mwani Wilkinson), a rebounding machine from California (Bradley Ezewiro), and a versatile, defensively-gifted transfer who practiced all spring with the Tigers (Josh LeBlanc). Read the recap of LSU's 2020 class here: https://lsusports.net/news/2020/4/16/mens-basketball-elite-2020-class-gives-will-wade-hope-for-best-team-yet.aspx

Will Wade Breaks Down LSU's Elite 2020 Recruiting Class

LSU Baseball's pitching staff was off to a historic start in 2020. Then, the outbreak of a pandemic changed everything. Today's episode of Tigers United features Cole Henry and Eric Walker (6:58), two of the Tigers' top arms, who check in from their homes on how they're adapting to life in the social distancing age. They talk missing the day to day grind of a baseball team, living meal to meal, finding ways to work out and throw, the uncertainty of their futures, what they're watching, and how difficult it is to cut off a championship chase before it even really gets started. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lsusportsnet/videos

Tigers United: Cole Henry and Eric Walker, LSU Baseball

A new podcast series from LSU Athletics: Tigers United. So many times in life, we're defined by the things that divide us. But sometimes we all go through something together. And we're reminded of the things that unite us. Right now, in some form or another, we're all going through the same thing. And we're all united by a sense of loss and how to cope with it. On one end of the scale, there are those who are fighting for their lives, fighting for their health, fighting for the lives of other people. And wherever you are in that fight, know you're not alone. But up and down the scale, from most serious to least serious, we're all dealing with some sort of loss. Maybe it's a job. Maybe it's school. Maybe it's time spent with loved ones or the ability to go work out in a gym or eat out at a restaurant for dinner. For Ruby Harrold and Skylar Mays, one of the losses they're dealing with right now is a loss that so many other student athletes across the country are figuring out how to cope with. Both of their collegiate careers were cut short because of the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Neither got the chance to finish their careers at LSU the way they deserved. After all the hard work and the heartache. After all the sacrifice and the celebration. They just ended. Earlier this week, they joined me for the first in a series of conversations we're calling Tigers United. Each episode we're going to hear from LSU student athletes, staff, and coaches, on how they're navigating this new world we're all living in. We'll talk mental health and physical health. We'll look back on the past, and we'll look forward to the future. You can find every episode at LSUSports.net, as well as on our Hey Fightin' Podcast and Boot Up: The LSU Basketball Podcast feeds. We all come from different places. We all play different sports. We all have different obstacles to overcome. But now as always, we're all Tigers, and we're all united.

Tigers United: Skylar Mays and Ruby Harrold

Cody and Chris sit down to preview the SEC Tournament. They talk bracketology, ideal matchups for Friday night's tipoff, LSU finding consistency heading into postseason, the play of Marlon Taylor, Javonte Smart, and Darius Days, last minute packing, and much more.  Subscribe! Rate! Review!

SEC Tournament Preview with Chris Blair, the Voice of the Tigers

On today's show, we talk LSU's NCAA Tournament resume, why Will Wade thinks his team is on the right track, how consistency is key for this season's team and for the program as a whole, and we play the full press conference from Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who met with the media for nearly 30 minutes last week ahead of his jersey retirement Saturday. 

On the Right Path + Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Back after a short break. The bad news: LSU lost two games since we last spoke.  The good news: LSU won its last game and remains atop the SEC. The great news: Charles Manning is back. On today's show, we talk about the impact Manning's return will have on both sides of the ball, and Will Wade breaks down why LSU's three-point defense has struggled lately. 

Cruising Along Atop the SEC + Charles Manning is Back

Tyrus Thomas, former LSU legend and NBA lottery pick, joins the show, for the first of what we hope to be many episodes together. Tyrus helps break down LSU's 90-76 win over Alabama and the Tigers' nine-game winning streak and 7-0 start to SEC play.  Topics covered: - Beating the computers  - Finishing games  - Similarities between 2006 Final Four team and 2020 team - LSU's relentless crashing of the offensive glass - Skylar Mays going old school from midrange - Emmitt Williams' motor and contagious energy - Will Wade maximizing strengths, minimizing weaknesses, and finding an identity Subscribe. Rate. Review.  

Tyrus Thomas + Finding An Identity and Beating the Computers

LSU is 6-0 in the SEC after a critical 84-82 win over Florida. The finish wasn't pretty, but the result was. On today's show we talk: - Skylar Mays' patient approach and SEC Player of the Year candidacy - Replacing Charles Manning's minutes - The emergence of Aundre Hyatt - The resurgence of Marlon Taylor - A few minutes with Emmitt Williams on how his game transformed over the summer Subscribe. Rate. Review. 

Skylar Mays' MVP Performance, LSU's 6-0 Start, and Sitting Down with Emmitt Williams

Boot Up is the official podcast of LSU Basketball hosted by Cody Worsham, with game breakdowns, previews, and interviews with current and former Tiger players, coaches, and staff.

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Boot Up: The LSU Basketball Podcast

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