After finishing dead last in the SEC in Matt McMahon’s first season, LSU entered 2023-24 looking to bounce back.
However, after a 4-3 start, this team looks like it could find itself near the bottom once again. It suffered an embarrassing home loss to Nicholls before squandering a double-digit second-half lead against Dayton.
It followed that stretch with three-straight wins, including a victory over Wake Forest, but in its last outing, it was embarrassed by Syracuse in the ACC/SEC Challenge. With some tough non-conference games to come against Kansas State and Texas before league play in a deep SEC, there may not be a light at the end of the tunnel.
In On3’s latest SEC basketball power rankings, the Tigers sit in the second-to-last spot ahead of only Vanderbilt.
The climb out of the SEC’s basement is steep and challenging as the league is as loaded as it ever has been. For LSU, the road is even bumpier after finishing dead last in 2023 at 2-16. Plus, they’ve gotten no luck after their top transfer, 20-point-per-game Tulane point guard Jalen Cook, has yet to be cleared by the NCAA.
The result is a 4-3 start with close losses to Nicholls State and Dayton before an overtime win over Wake Forest as their marquee victory. Their second run-in with the ACC was less successful, as the Tigers made the trip up to bitter-cold Syracuse only to be blown out 80-57 in The Challenge. Quite honestly, LSU appears to be a strong candidate to repeat as last-place finishers, especially if Cook never gets on the floor.
The Tigers will look to turn things around, and that starts with a home contest against Southeastern on Friday night.
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