Tag: LSU Men’s Basketball

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.

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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.

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LSU guard Jalen Cook suspended for violation of team rules, Matt McMahon announces

Jalen Cook has missed the last five games and is now suspended for failing to meet “team requirements.”

LSU guard [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] hasn’t appeared in a game since a loss to Florida on Feb. 13, and it seems that absence will continue.

On Monday, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] announced that Cook is currently suspended from the team for failing to meet “team requirements.” Cook initially missed four games with a leg injury, but he was not with the team on the road for Saturday’s victory against Vanderbilt.

Trae Hannibal has been starting in Cook’s place.

A native of Walker, Louisiana, Cook began his career at LSU but transferred following his true freshman season and spent two years at Tulane. He returned in 2023-24 but was forced to sit out the first 10 games as a two-time transfer.

Cook’s loss is significant as he currently leads LSU in points per game (15.6) and assists per game (2.8).

McMahon also announced that guard [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] (knee soreness) isn’t likely to return this season while [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] (dislocated shoulder) is taking a medical redshirt but is expected to be back healthy next season.

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Checking in on the SEC men’s basketball standings entering final week of the regular season

The Tigers sit at 8-8 in conference play with two games remaining.

With two games to go in the men’s basketball regular season, LSU continues to impress down the stretch.

Winners of four of their last five, the Tigers sit at 8-8 in conference play after winning just two SEC games last season. While an NCAA Tournament bid is likely out of the question barring an impressive run in Nashville next week, an NIT bid is still very much in play, which would be a good sign of progress in Year 2 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag].

First, though, LSU has two more regular season games against Arkansas and Missouri. It will likely be favored against both and has a good chance of reaching the double-digit win threshold in conference play.

In the meantime, here’s how the standings look with two games to go.

PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball’s hot streak extends with road win over Vanderbilt

LSU withstood multiple Vanderbilt rallies to get back to .500 in SEC play on Saturday.

While an NCAA tournament bid likely isn’t in the cards barring an SEC tournament title, coach Matt McMahon’s LSU men’s basketball team is ending the regular season with quite a bit of momentum.

After a 75-61 win against Vanderbilt on the road on Saturday, the Tigers moved to 16-13 (8-8 SEC) and have now won four of their last five games

LSU jumped out to an early lead on the Commodores and led by 20 at the half. Though it had to fend off multiple rallies in the second half, the Tigers ultimately cruised to a relatively easy win.

Now, with two games to go, LSU will hit the road as it goes for a season sweep against Arkansas. In the meantime, here are the photos from Saturday’s win over Vandy.

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.

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PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball can’t keep up with Mississippi State as win streak ends

The Tigers couldn’t make it three wins in a row on Saturday night.

The Tigers turned in two straight statement wins, but they couldn’t make it three on Saturday night.

The LSU men’s basketball team fell 87-67 to Mississippi State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, falling to 14-13 on the season and 6-8 in SEC play.

The Tigers played it close in the first, trading the lead a few times before they ultimately trailed by seven at halftime. The Bulldogs took control of the game from there, pulling away to a 20-point win.

LSU will be back in action when it hosts Georgia. In the meantime, here are the photos from Saturday’s loss.

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.

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What two straight ranked wins mean for LSU men’s basketball, Matt McMahon

The Tigers are closing out the season with some momentum on their side.

For a while, it looked like LSU was heading for another rough season under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag].

The Tigers men’s basketball team had lost six of seven games, but the last two games have given reason for hope. They’ve notched back-to-back ranked wins over South Carolina and Kentucky, most recently in buzzer-beater fashion against the Wildcats at home.

While an NCAA tournament bid is likely a longshot for this team barring an SEC tournament title, this team is ending the year with some momentum, and that’s what McMahon takes away from the recent success.

“Well, I think it’s certainly a big step for us,” he said, per On3. “It’s not every week, you know, you go on the road down 16 in the second half against the No. 11 team, you’re down by 16 and and come back and and find a way to win in front of 17,000 people, then come back home and play the No. 17 team and be down 15 in the second half and come back and find a way to win at the buzzer and celebrate with all your fans.”

Still, the Tigers can’t afford to rest on their laurels, especially with two more Quadrant 2 games still left on the schedule. They have the opportunity to end the year on a high note, and that begins when they host Mississippi State on Saturday night.

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