LSU needed to get the taste of a bad Year 1 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] out of its mouth, and it took last season’s frustrations out on an NAIA opponent on Monday night.
The Tigers stomped Louisiana Christian in an 88-point win, taking their exhibition 132-44.
After a tough first season in Baton Rouge, McMahon hit the transfer portal to bring in one of the best hauls in the country. We saw the new-look roster Monday night, but we also saw some schematic changes.
On defense, the Tigers utilized halfcourt trapping to force turnovers, of which they got 21 resulting in 39 points the other way. McMahon explained the change after the game, per On3.
“I like it,” McMahon said. “The way the defensive system is structured this year fits out personnel really well. Not only do we have size and athleticism in the frontcourt, but in the backcourt we have [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] who’s 6-7 and a long athlete, [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] is 6-6 and can guard multiple positions on the court. Mwani has played in a switching defense here in the past where he was very successful, so that’s certainly the hope to get better on the defensive side of the ball so that it can fuel your transition attack.”
The changes weren’t just defensive. After shooting just 32.7% from three-point range last season, the Tigers connected on 65.5% of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. Five players in total made threes.
“I thought our spacing was good and then I thought because guys passed up good shots to get great shots, we were able to get high-quality looks and guys stepped up and knocked them down,” McMahon said. “I think it was just a product of having good shooters on our team, I expect us to shoot the ball well. The unselfishness led to some high-quality looks and guys delivered.”
Obviously, the Tigers will face much tougher competition once the regular season starts, but there were certainly positive signs from Monday’s exhibition. McMahon and LSU kick off the 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 against Mississippi Valley State.
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