LSU

Shaquille O'Neal predicts LSU basketball, son Shareef O'Neal win 2021 NCAA Tournament

Erik Hall
Lafayette Daily Advertiser

Could the LSU men's basketball team win the program's first NCAA National Championship in 2021? 

Shaquille O'Neal thinks so. 

O'Neal put out a 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament bracket through the NCAA on Wednesday morning, and it included the No. 8-seeded LSU Tigers winning the whole thing. 

The rest of O'Neal's Final Four were No. 1 seed Gonzaga, No. 1 seed Illinois, and No. 5 seed Villanova. He predicted an LSU win over Illinois in the national title game. 

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LSU basketball has 50-to-1 odds to win the NCAA Tournament, according to BetMGM. 

On Saturday, LSU opens the 2021 NCAA Tournament against St. Bonaventure. LSU comes into the matchup 18-9 overall. Most recently, Alabama beat LSU 80-79 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game. 

O'Neal's son, Shareef, is a sophomore forward on the LSU men's basketball team.

Shareef O'Neal is expected to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. He last played for LSU against Alabama on Feb. 3. 

Shaquille O'Neal also played for LSU basketball. His career spanned from 1989-92. He earned The Associated Press Player of the Year in 1991, and O'Neal received Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. 

LSU reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Shaquille O'Neal's three seasons, advancing to the second round in 1990 and 1992 with a first-round loss in 1991. LSU received its highest NCAA Tournament in that span during O'Neal's freshman season with a No. 5 seed in 1990.

Here's more LSU basketball news: 

Former NBA player and LSU alumni Shaquille O'Neal is seen before an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

Shaquille O'Neal is currently an NBA analyst for TNT. 

Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik. 

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