LSU men’s basketball received bad news for its roster scholarship situation on Tuesday.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, former St. John’s guard and 2025 Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis will not be granted a fifth year of eligibility by the SEC, and LSU is expected to back down from pursuing legal action in an attempt to make him eligible for the 2026-27 season.
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The denial of a fifth year from the SEC is in response to Luis having signed a two-way NBA contract with the Utah Jazz and an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The SEC in August — at the height of fifth year of eligibility lawsuits following the NCAA’s eligibility guidelines to an age-based “5-for-5” model — announced a conference policy that would prohibit an athlete from playing for an SEC member program if they previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA drafts and did not withdraw from them; signed a professional contract; or were listed on a professional roster.
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Luis played for Rick Pitino at St. John’s from 2023-2025 and was one of the top guards in the Big East. In his junior season with the Red Storm, Luis led the team to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big East Tournament. He earned a second-team All-American nod after averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
“We’re going to follow all the SEC protocols with him,” LSU coach Will Wade said on a media Zoom call Oct. 13 (LSU did not attend SEC media days in Birmingham due to weather). “I think it’s been pretty clear what the SEC protocols are on all that. He didn’t travel with us to McNeese and he hasn’t been rostered.”
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
25 — Brigham Young Cougars (23-12 in 2025-26, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
25 — Brigham Young Cougars (23-12 in 2025-26, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament)
(William Purnell, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
24 — Purdue Boilermakers (30-9 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
23 — Kentucky Wildcats (22-14 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Jordan Prather, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
22 — Southern California Trojans (18-14 in 2025-26)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
21 — Vanderbilt Commodores (27-9 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(William Purnell, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
20 — Michigan Wolverines (37-3 in 2025-26, won the national championship against Connecticut)
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
T18 — Kansas Jayhawks (24-11 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Evert Nelson, USA TODAY Network)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
T18 — Alabama Crimson Tide (25-10 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Network)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
17 — Miami Hurricanes (26-9 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Jeff Curry, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
16 — Texas Tech (23-11 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Aryanna Frank, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
T14 — Iowa State Cyclones (29-8 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
T14 — St. John’s Red Storm (30-7 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
13 — Arkansas Razorbacks (28-9 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Eakin Howard, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
12 — Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-4 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(James Snook, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
11 — Louisville Cardinals (24-11 in 2025-26 lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
10 — Virginia Cavaliers (30-6 in 2025-26 lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
9 — Tennessee Volunteers (25-12 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)
(Saul Young, USA TODAY Network)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
8 — Houston Cougars (30-7 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Maria Lysaker, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
7 — Texas Longhorns (21-15 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
6 — Michigan State Spartans (27-8 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
(Nick King, USA TODAY Network)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
5 — Connecticut Huskies (34-6 in 2025-26, lost in national championship game against Michigan)
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
4 — Arizona Wildcats (36-3 in 2025-26, lost in Final Four to Michigan)
(Robert Deutsch, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
3 — Illinois Fighting Illini (28-9 in 2025-26, lost in Final Four to Connecticut)
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
2 — Duke Blue Devils (35-3 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)
(Zachary Taft, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
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Men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 rankings for 2026-27
1 — Florida Gators (27-8 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
Last week, the SEC added the Tigers’ men’s basketball program to its latest court filings in opposition to LSU’s motion to dismiss the conference’s lawsuit. The conference argues that LSU’s basketball recruiting practices represent further evidence of what it characterizes as ongoing defiance of SEC professionalism rules and failure to maintain institutional control.
The Tigers’ roster situation remains one of the team’s biggest question marks entering the season, which begins in just a few weeks, as several scholarship players continue to await decisions in their eligibility cases.
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Citing sources, Norlander also noted that 2025 NBA Draft pick Saliou Niang has been cleared to play at LSU, as Niang had not previously been enrolled in college. He also mentioned that French center Brice Dessert is expected to be cleared soon.
The Tigers list UCLA transfer Donovan Dent, one of their other high-profile portal pickups, on their official online roster, as he is eligible for now. Fellow Bruins transfer Skyy Clark is not on the roster, as his fifth-year eligibility case remains in limbo.
LSU is set to open up the season on Tuesday, Nov. 3 against LSU New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU’s RJ Luis gamble appears over: SEC denies fifth year request, per report
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