There’s no way to spin it. It’s been a tough season to be an LSU basketball fan.
Wednesday’s senior night contest against Missouri felt like a microcosm for the whole campaign, in which the team lost 14 straight games after starting the year 12-1. The Tigers had a chance to take a step forward, leading a likely tournament team for nearly 39 minutes, but they couldn’t finish it out and lost by five in the final home game of the season.
After the loss — which dropped LSU to 13-17 (2-15 SEC) in Matt McMahon’s debut campaign — senior [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] took the opportunity to thank the fans after his final game at the PMAC.
“With this being my first year, it is one of the things I was looking forward to coming to LSU,” he said in a release. “That’s why I came here because of the great fans they have and great fan base. And I’d like to thank them for their support of us throughout the season.
“Knowing what the outcome was, they still came out and supported and gave us great energy.”
A transfer from Murray State who followed McMahon, Williams could have declared for the draft after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2021-22. Instead, he signed on for what McMahon was building in Baton Rouge.
Williams became one of the best players in the SEC this season. His 17.3 points per game ranks second in the league, and his 7.5 rebounding average ranks seventh. He’s been the Tigers’ best player, but it clearly wasn’t the year he had in mind when he came to the SEC to join a team coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Guard [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] also made a crucial decision to be a part of this team. A transfer from Illinois, Miller missed all of last season with a torn ACL. He initially entered the transfer portal after the Tigers fired coach Will Wade, but McMahon convinced him to stay.
He’s also had a solid season in spite of LSU’s struggles, asserting himself as the team’s most reliable sharpshooter. He averages nearly 12 points per game, and his 70 made threes ties for third in the SEC.
Miller echoed Williams’ sentiment, and he said that the opportunity to play in front of the fans at the PMAC was a primary reason he chose to come back.
“Everyone in the stands support us,” he said. “Majority of the reason I came back to LSU was because I didn’t get to play in front of these fans. So, for the ones that supported and stuck with us through the season, trials and tribulations, it was heartfelt for me because we had a duty to those fans.
“I just wanted to come out and do my best for them every night and do my hardest. First season back, being able to do that for them, I just want them to know I gave it my all.”
LSU is by no means a basketball blue-blood, but this is a program that has had pockets of success over the years. McMahon had to rebuild this roster almost entirely from scratch, and he’ll certainly get some leeway as a result. Still, he’ll likely enter Year 2 with a short leash after this team’s collapse in SEC play.
Based on the players’ sentiments, it’s clear LSU fans aren’t the only ones unsatisfied with the way this team performed on the court in 2022-23.
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