The No. 6-seeded Tigers fought valiantly to avoid an upset without coach Will Wade, who had been fired just six days prior, on the sidelines in Friday night’s NCAA Tournament opener against No. 11-seeded Iowa State.
LSU battled back from a deficit that reached as high as 12 points, cutting the Cyclone lead to one in the final minutes. But that comeback effort ultimately wasn’t enough, as interim coach Kevin Nickelberry’s team ended an up-and-down season with a 59-54 loss in Milwaukee to go one-and-done in March Madness.
As has been the case all season, the Tigers’ defense — which ranks top-five in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency — was strong. It held Iowa State to just 35.7% shooting from the field, and it forced 10 turnovers.
But as has also been the case this season, the offense held the team back. LSU shot 37%, better than the Cyclones, but it was below 30% from the field in the first half, which contributed to the hole the Tigers found themselves in.
Mistakes proved costly as well. LSU turned the ball over 18 times, gifting Iowa State 22 points going the other way. Ultimately, this team’s weaknesses doomed it despite a hard battle with the season on the line, and Nickelberry likely finishes his tenure as the Tigers coach at 0-1.
Here were the standouts from the game that caused LSU’s disappointing early exit.
Next: Three stars from the game