LSU basketball’s Jordan Wright named to First-Team All-Louisiana squad

Jordan Wright was a major reason for LSU’s improvement this past season.

After an impressive season at LSU in his final season of eligibility, graduate student men’s basketball guard [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] has been named to the First-Team All-Louisiana basketball squad by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Wright, who came in this season as a transfer from Vanderbilt after playing four seasons with the Commodores, averaged 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 2023-24. The Waggaman, Louisiana, native who attended The Dunham School scored in double figures in 18 straight games at one point this season.

While it was another difficult season in Baton Rouge, Wright played a key role as the team improved from 2-16 to 9-9 in SEC play, earning a bid to the NIT in the process.

Here’s the full All-Louisiana team.

First Team

Shahada Wells, G, Gr., McNeese, Fort Worth, Texas

17.8 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, Southland Conference Player of the Year, SLC Newcomer of the Year, Major Madness First-Team All-American

Isaiah Crawford, F, Gr., Louisiana Tech, Fort Worth, Texas
16.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, Conference USA Player of the Year, CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, NABC All-District First Team

Daniel Batcho, F, R-Jr., Louisiana Tech, Paris, France
15.2 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game, Conference USA Newcomer of the Year

Diante Smith, F, Sr., Nicholls, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
16.0 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, First-Team All-Southland Conference

Jordan Wright, F, Gr., LSU, Waggaman, Louisiana
15.1 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game

Player of the Year: Shahada Wells, G, McNeese
Newcomer of the Year: Shahada Wells, G, McNeese
Freshman of the Year: John Awoke, Bossier Parish Community College
Coach of the Year: Will Wade, McNeese

Second Team

Kobe Julien, F, R-Jr., UL Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
17.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, Second-Team All-Sun Belt

Kevin Cross, F, Sr., Tulane, Little Rock, Arkansas
17.5 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, Third-Team All-American Athletic Conference

Christian Shumate, F, Jr., McNeese, Chicago, Illinois
12.1 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year

Nick Caldwell, G/F, Sr., Southeastern Louisiana, Prairieville, Louisiana
15.4 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, First-Team All-Southland Conference

Kintavious Dozier, G, Jr., Grambling, Lanett, Alabama
13.0 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, First-Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference

Third Team

Kashie Natt, G, Jr., LSU-Alexandria, Rayville, Louisiana
17.4 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game, Red River Athletic Conference Player of the Year

Jordan Johnson, G, Sr., New Orleans, Memphis, Tennessee
21.3 points per game, 3.8 steals per game, Second-Team All-Southland Conference

Jamal Gibson, F, Fr., SUNO, New Orleans, Louisiana
21 points per game, 15.8 rebounds per game, Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year

DJ Richards, F, So., McNeese, Houston, Texas
11.4 points per game, 45.1 3-point shooting percentage, Southland Conference All-Tournament Team

TJ Jones, G, 5Y, Xavier, Opelousas, Louisiana
14.0 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, First-Team All-Red River Athletic Conference

Seth Thomas, F, Sr., Centenary, Kilgore, Texas
16.2 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, First-Team All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Honorable Mention (Appeared on at least 25 percent of ballots)

CJ Carpenter, G, Sr., LSU-Shreveport, Natchitoches, Louisiana
Joe Charles, F, Jr., UL Lafayette, Carencro, Louisiana
Tra’Michael Moton, G, Gr., Grambling, Shreveport, Louisiana

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU men’s basketball lands first transfer portal commitment from Kansas State’s Cam Carter

The Tigers have landed their first commitment from the transfer portal this offseason.

After the conclusion of Year 2 under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], which saw the Tigers’ season end in the first round of the NIT against North Texas, LSU has landed its first men’s basketball transfer portal commitment of the cycle.

On Friday, Kansas State guard [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Tigers, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Carter finished his high school career in Virginia, but he’s a native of Donaldsonvile, Louisiana.

He’ll be making his return to the SEC after spending one year at Mississippi State before he spent the last two years in Manhattan, Kansas, with the Wildcats.

Carter was a rotational player with the Bulldogs but started all 70 games he appeared in at Kansas State. He averaged 14.6 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

It’s a major pickup for the Tigers, which are set to lose both [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] as well as possibly [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] from the backcourt.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball’s season ends in NIT opener against North Texas

The Tigers’ season came to an end on Tuesday night with a home loss in the NIT opener.

LSU’s stay in the NIT lasted just one game as the fourth-seeded Tigers were ousted in their opener with an 84-77 loss on its home court to defending tournament champion North Texas.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] finishes his second year at the helm in Baton Rouge with a 17-16 record and moves to 31-35 overall as the head coach of LSU men’s basketball.

The first 10 minutes or so were back and forth, but LSU was in control. That changed at the eight-minute mark when North Texas began a 13-2 run to take the lead, which it wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the half.

With the Tigers shooting 11 of 31, UNT led by as many as 11 points and ultimately took a 38-30 lead to the locker room.

LSU came out of the game hot in the second half, making five of its first seven shots as it cut the Mean Green lead to four points. But it couldn’t sustain that run, and North Texas quickly regained control and stretched what was at that point a game-high 18-point lead.

The Tigers had one final rally in them, and they cut the lead down to just five in the final minute to make things interesting, but they couldn’t erase the deficit as their season came to an end.

[autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] had a huge game in what was ultimately his final collegiate outing, scoring a game-high 25 points. [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] added 15, but even shooting above 50% in the second half couldn’t get the Tigers out of the hole.

After a disappointing Year 1 for McMahon, who had to rebuild nearly the entire roster from scratch, LSU showed signs of progress in Year 2. Now, however, McMahon’s group will be expected to take another leap and compete for an NCAA Tournament bid next season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball finishes regular season on a high note with Senior Night win over Missouri

LSU will be the No. 8 seed at the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week.

LSU fittingly honored its seniors on Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, beating Missouri 84-80 in the regular season finale.

Coach Matt McMahon’s team will enter the SEC Tournament at 17-14 with a 9-9 record in league play after finishing 2-16 a season ago. Missouri, meanwhile, finishes 0-18 in conference play in what has been a very disappointing campaign after reaching the NCAA Tournament last season.

LSU spent most of the first half playing from behind against Mizzou, which shot just 29% in the frame. However, the Tigers were even worse at 25%, and they found themselves in a 35-29 deficit at the half.

Missouri struggled to maintain that lead, however. LSU retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, and it went on to expand upon it. The Tigers led by as much as 21 with less than five minutes to play, and while Mizzou would cut into that lead and even get it within three with four seconds to play after some impressive shooting down the stretch, it was too little, too late.

[autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] led the way with 24 points to go with five rebounds and five assists and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] scored 10 as LSU went with an all-senior starting five. [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] scored 12 with six rebounds in an elevated role, while [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored seven with 10 rebounds. [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] also got to start, finishing with four points.

Coming off the bench, [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] scored 14 while [autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] totaled 10.

LSU will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week and will begin its run on Thursday against No. 9-seeded Mississippi State.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball’s streak of success interrupted by Arkansas

The Tigers struggled on the road and fall to 8-9 in SEC play with one game remaining.

The Tigers entered Wednesday night game having won four of their last five, but they couldn’t continue that success on the road against Arkansas.

LSU’s men’s basketball team never led after the first three minutes as it took a frustrating 94-83 loss that dropped the team to 16-14 on the season and below .500 in SEC play at 8-9.

[autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] (24 points) and [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] (19) were bright spots, but the Tigers couldn’t buy a stop as Arkansas shot north of 60% for the game.

The Tigers will now look to put the frustrating loss behind them and avoid becoming Missouri’s first SEC win when the two meet to conclude the regular season on Saturday.

For now, here are the photos from the loss.

LSU men’s basketball falls on the road against Arkansas

The Tigers couldn’t continue their winning streak on Wednesday night.

The LSU men’s basketball team has been playing very high-level basketball over the last month, but that stretch came to an end on Wednesday night in Fayetteville against Arkansas.

The Tigers lost 94-83 after winning four of their previous five games, falling to 16-14 on the season and back below .500 in SEC play at 8-9.

The first half was competitive in the early goings, but LSU’s only lead in the game was a 7-6 mark less than three minutes in. The Tigers trailed by seven at the half and by a game-high 14 points in the second frame before ultimately losing by 11.

[autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] had big games, scoring 24 and 19 respectively. But LSU’s defense didn’t give it a chance to win as the Razorbacks shot over 60% from the field for the game, which helped mask their 15 turnovers.

The Tigers can’t dwell on the loss too much as they’ll now look to finish the season strong on Senior Day Saturday against a Missouri team looking to avoid an 0-18 finish in SEC play.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball cruises to road win against Vanderbilt

The Tigers have now won four of their last five and are ending the regular season with a lot of momentum.

The LSU men’s basketball team stayed hot on Saturday on the road against a struggling Vanderbilt team, winning 75-61 to move to 16-13 on the season and get back to .500 in SEC play at 8-8.

With the victory, the Tigers have now won four of their last five.

Despite playing on the road, LSU took control of the game early. It quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and that trend continued throughout the first half.

The Tigers led by as much as 21 in the frame and took a commanding 42-22 lead to the locker room as [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] combined for 19 points in the first 20 minutes.

The Commodores opened the second half on a 14-7 run and cut the lead to 13, but they couldn’t keep the momentum on their side as LSU stretched its lead once again.

Another Vandy run cut the lead to 10, but it never got within single digits as the Tigers withstood the rally to hang on for a much-needed road win.

Wright ultimately led the team with 15 points, while Ward and [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored 10. LSU relied heavily on its bench, which provided 34 points led by Jalen Reed’s 13.

With two remaining games in the regular season, LSU’s next game will come on the road as it looks for a season sweep against Arkansas on Wednesday night.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball’s hot streak comes to an end vs. Mississippi State

The Tigers couldn’t keep up the momentum against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.

LSU turned in back-to-back impressive wins over ranked opponents in the last week, but the Tigers couldn’t make that streak three on Saturday night against Mississippi State as the Bulldogs breezed to an 87-67 win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, but LSU led by as much as six in the frame. However, the Bulldogs ultimately stretched to a seven-point lead at the half, and that was a sign of what was to come.

The Tigers were outscored by 13 in the second half as the team shot just 41.4%. It was a big game offensively for [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag], who led the team with 22 points, but [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] was the only other player who scored in double figures with 14 points.

LSU really struggled to defend Josh Hubbard, who finished with 32 points, and Tolu Smith added 19.

The Tigers now fall to 14-13 (6-8 SEC) on the year. They’ll be back in action on Tuesday when they host Georgia.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Matt McMahon breaks down LSU’s last possession in upset win over Kentucky

Trusting in his players proved to be the right call as the Tigers moved to 14-12 and 6-7 overall in conference play.

Last night, the LSU Tigers took down the Kentucky Wildcats in the Pete Maravich Center. Head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has taken a team that did not win any conference games last season to a team that has defeated back-to-back ranked opponents.

The Tigers won 75-74 over Kentucky due to a last-second shot that barely beat the buzzer. Kentucky took the lead with less than 10 seconds left and the Tigers had one timeout remaining, so that brought on a big decision for McMahon. Would he trust his team to play it out or would he call a timeout to draw up a play?

“Wish I would’ve called timeout,” McMahon said jokingly, per On3. “But I didn’t want them to get their defense set. I like them playing in transition, just a scramble situation. Trust [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] with the ball there.

“We’ve been searching for some toughness. And [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] comes flying out of nowhere to put that ball in and win the game, just awesome, man. Awesome.”

Trusting in his players proved to be the right call as the Tigers moved to 14-12 and 6-7 overall in conference play.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball upsets Kentucky on buzzer-beater for 2nd straight ranked win

The Tigers held on for a statement home win against the Wildcats on Wednesday night.

The LSU men’s basketball team is putting something together down the stretch this season.

The Tigers recorded their second straight victory over a ranked opponent with a stunning upset against Kentucky at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Trailing by one in the final seconds, a potential game-winner from [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] was blocked. But he secured his own rebound, lobbed the ball up to [autotag]Tyrell Ward [/autotag]in desperation, and Ward responded with a put-back buzzer-beater to lift LSU to a 75-74 win.

The Tigers move to 14-12 on the season and are now just one game below .500 in SEC play. They’ll look to get back to even as Mississippi State comes to town on Saturday.

In the meantime, here are the photos from Wednesday night’s win.