In a different world, one could be impressed with what LSU did on Saturday night.
Coach Matt McMahon’s team could have easily folded against a better Texas A&M squad after falling behind 26-4. It didn’t, fighting back to make the game competitive in the final minutes.
But in the world we live in, LSU has now lost 12 games in a row. Moral victories won’t cut it; not for a team that is way too talented to be sitting at 1-11 in SEC play. After the game, McMahon shared in the fans’ frustrations.
“In the first half, obviously it’s incredibly disappointing,” McMahon said about the ugly start, per a release. “I just don’t understand not coming out ready to play. I thought we missed some easy ones there early around the basket. We missed a layup, we missed a couple of threes and we let that dictate our defensive energy, intensity and attention to detail. They just carved us up there.
“Obviously, I’m not going to sit here and talk about the second half, that’s how you should play. I thought our guys came out and played with a lot of passion, energy and toughness. It was probably our most efficient offensive half of SEC play. It’s going to be hard to win when you don’t give yourself a chance there in the first half.”
Guard [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who led the team with 18 points and was one of the few offensive bright spots as he hit 4 of his 10 shots from behind the arc, was as frustrated as anyone with LSU’s inability to get over the hump.
“It’s a cycle we have to break,” he said. “We just have to keep leading, pushing each other. It’s hard. If you see our practices, we practice hard every day, but it’s the little things we have to put together. It’s on the players, it’s not on the coaches or anyone, the players chose to play 20 minutes today. Myself included.”
It’s been a tough season nobody quite expected for a team coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance under coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag], who was fired prior to the tournament. It’s a transfer-heavy squad, but it features several veteran transfers from Murray State who have familiarity both playing with each other and for McMahon.
LSU is still looking for its first win since the calendar turned to 2023, and with upcoming matchups against Georgia and South Carolina, there are opportunities to end the losing streak.
Still, the team remains motivated to turn things around however it can, and the leaders on the team are on board for that mission.
“We’re going to keep working regardless of what the record is,” Miller said. “For me, it hurts a bit more because coming back and having those three letters across your chest means something to me. Not being able to put on for those fans hurts me differently.
“We’re going to keep working. We have to keep going. We’re LSU.”
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