BATON ROUGE — Will Wade is back at LSU, and his second stint leading the Tigers will officially start Thursday night with an exhibition game against a familiar opponent.

LSU will travel to Lake Charles to face McNeese, where Wade spent two seasons before a one-year stop at NC State and his eventual return to Baton Rouge. The Tigers could be significantly shorthanded as LSU continues working through eligibility issues with several players.

"We're going to go to McNeese tomorrow. We got about eight players that can play, and three of them are basically walk-ons," Wade said today in front of a packed crowd at Rotary Club. "It could be ugly tomorrow at McNeese, and that's fine. Our goal is to have everybody ready for the first game, Nov. 3."

Wade said LSU has been practicing with 15 players and expects the eligibility process to continue moving in a positive direction. He believes the roster, once fully available, can compete with anyone in the SEC and nationally.

The exhibition also carries additional meaning for Wade after McNeese gave him an opportunity to return to coaching. LSU is donating the proceeds from Thursday's game to the Cowboys.

"Those folks saved my career, and so I owe everything that I have to the people of Lake Charles and to everybody at McNeese who stuck their neck out there for me," Wade said. "This is a small way that we can repay them."

While Thursday will be the first look at Wade's new LSU team, he made it clear his goals for his second stint extend well beyond simply returning the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.

"This isn't about nostalgia and coming back. That's not good enough," Wade said. "We need to go to the tournament. We need to advance, and we need to be a national player."

LSU and McNeese will tip off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles. The Tigers officially begin the regular season on Nov. 3 against LSU New Orleans in Baton Rouge. The full schedule can be found here.

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