It certainly wasn’t the finish the Tigers had hoped for on Friday night, but it also wasn’t exactly surprising.
The team entered the NCAA Tournament after a difficult week that began with the team firing fifth-year coach Will Wade after he was cited in a Notice of Allegations days prior. LSU had a tough first-round draw against a Big 12 team in Iowa State, and things didn’t go interim coach Kevin Nickelberry’s way in Milwaukee.
The Tigers lost their opener to the Cyclones 59-54 in a No. 6 vs. No. 11 upset, and they head back to Baton Rouge empty-handed with a good deal of uncertainty facing the program in the near future. With a premature end against a potential Cinderella squad, LSU was listed among USA TODAY Sports’ biggest losers from Friday’s action.
The No. 6-seeded Tigers played uninspired before a late rally at the end in a 59-54 loss to Iowa State in the first round of the Midwest Region. The outcome’s understandable considering coach Will Wide was fired shortly before the NCAA Tournament. This game felt like the Cyclones were the favored team throughout the night, with LSU shooting 21% from 3-point land and committing 19 turnovers with interim head coach Kevin Nickelberry trying to get this group to reestablish its identity without Wade.
CBS Sports concurred in its list of winners and losers.
With LSU seeking its next head coach after Will Wade’s firing last week, the future looks a bit frightening for the Tigers, which could still face a postseason ban or other penalties for alleged violations committed during Wade’s tenure. Five-star signee Julian Phillips shared Friday that he was released from his letter of intent, and restocking the roster may prove to be difficult for then next coach amid the possibility of looming sanctions. A deep NCAA Tournament run under interim coach Kevin Nickelberry might have changed the narrative surrounding the program a bit. But now the Tigers enter an uncertain night with athletic director Scott Woodward’s excellent track record of hiring coaches shining as the only light in what may wind up as a bleak tunnel for the LSU program.
Given the fight to make it a game at the end in spite of a 12-point deficit, poor offensive play and an interim coach on the sidelines, it’s hard not to be impressed by the effort LSU put in on Friday.
But for losing as a high seed in the very first game, it’s understandable why the Tigers are being included on these lists.
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