Tag: Matt McMahon

LSU offers top 100 small forward from California

The Tigers offered top Zion Sensley, a 2024 prospect from Napa, California.

[autotag]Zion Sensley[/autotag] is a 2024, four-star, 6-foot-8, 195-pound, small forward from Napa, California, where he plays for Prolific Prep. The Prolific Prep Christian Crew are off to as hot of a start to their 2022 campaign as [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers.

The Crew are 6-0 to start the season and have scored over 100 points in four out of six games. This comes as no surprise to a lot of people, as Maxpreps rated Prolific Prep as the No. 6 high school basketball team in the country back in October.

LSU doesn’t have any commitments for the 2024 recruiting class, but the new head coach, McMahon is just getting started with everything.

LSU falls to Kansas State in Cayman Islands Classic championship after second-half surger

The Tigers’ undefeated start came to an end in the finals at the Cayman Islands Classic.

The Tigers suffered the first loss of the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era on Wednesday night as they squandered a halftime lead in a 61-59 loss to Kansas State in the championship of the Cayman Islands Classic.

LSU falls to 5-1 on the season and draws a solid mid-major opponent in Wofford in its next contest on Sunday.

Once again, [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] led the way scoring for the Tigers. He finished with 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting with 10 rebounds — his first double-double fo he season. [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] finished with 12 points, while [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] had 11.

It was a solid shooting day for the Tigers, who were 43.4% from the field, but they turned the ball over 17 times with 14 of those coming in the second half. Despite 17 turnovers of their own and a worse shooting performance, the Wildcats managed to take advantage of enough opportunities to win the game.

Markquis Nowell led KSU with 18 points, while Keyontae Johnson — a Florida transfer — scored 16. Desi Sills matched Johnson’s scoring total coming off the bench.

With the Tigers’ undefeated start spoiled, they’ll have to refocus ahead of a home matchup with the Terriers on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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LSU overcomes halftime deficit to beat Akron, advances to Cayman Islands Classic championship

The Tigers trailed by two at the break, but they outscored the Zips by 15 in the second half of the semifinal matchup.

The Tigers struggled at times and found themselves in an early hole, but they ultimately pulled away for a comfortable 73-58 win in the Cayman Islands Classic semifinals on Tuesday over Akron. LSU is now 5-0 on the season to start the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era.

This one was tight in the first half, and LSU actually trailed. The Zips led by eight at one point in the final minutes, though the Tigers were able to cut that lead to two by the break.

LSU outscored Akron by 17 in the second half, largely thanks to a 15-point frame from leading scorer [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who had 23 points in total on the day. The Tigers shot 48.1% from the floor, and the offense had a season-low 10 turnovers. [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] had 19 points and five rebounds, while Justice Hill had a season-high 14 points.

Defensively, it was a great game for the Tigers, who held Akron to 25.9% shooting for the game and 20% in the second half. They forced 14 turnovers, nine of which were steals.

Now, the Tigers move on to the championship, where they will face the winner of Tuesday night’s game between Kansas State and Nevada. That game is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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LSU basketball vs. Akron: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Game 2 of the Cayman Islands Classic

The Tigers will face the Zips in the winner’s bracket on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT.

After a smooth, 77-61 win over Illinois State in which forward [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] led the team with 33 points, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and 4-0 LSU will draw Akron in Game 2 of the Cayman Islands Classic in the winner’s bracket.

The Zips, who enter this game at 3-1 on the season, enter by virtue of a 72-53 win over Western Kentucky in their tournament opener. Otherwise, Akron has tight wins against Morgan State and South Dakota State with its loss coming by 19 points against Mississippi State.

Led by sixth-year coach John Groce, the Zips are coming off a MAC Tournament Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They lost their first game as a No. 13 seed to No. 4-seeded UCLA.

Here’s what you need to know to follow this one, which tips off at 12:30 p.m. CT.

LSU storms past Illinois State to win Cayman Islands Classic opener

The Tigers will face the winner of Akron-Western Kentucky on Tuesday afternoon.

The Tigers are heading into the winner’s bracket in the Cayman Islands Classic after breezing past Illinois State in the opener with a 77-61 win. Now, LSU will face the winner of Akron-Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

It was something of a breakout game for forward [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], who followed coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] from Murray State. He led the team with 33 points, shooting 13 of 19 for the game while also notching a game-high eight rebounds.

Guards [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] (13 points) and [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] (10) also scored in double figures as the team shot nearly 50% for the game, though its offense dropped of in the second half as the Tigers were outscored by 11. They led 45-18 at the break.

The Redbirds had three players finish in double figures offensively and shot 42.3% from the game, but they were an abysmal 5 of 22 from beyond the arc, and 19 turnovers overshadowed a sloppy LSU team that also gave the ball away 18 times.

It was another performance that leaves this team with a lot to work on, but McMahon is 4-0 to start his LSU tenure with a chance to move to 5-0 on Tuesday.

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LSU basketball vs. Illinois State: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Cayman Islands Classic opener

The Tigers are heading to the Caribbean for the three-day tournament this week.

The Tigers are heading down to the Caribbean this week to participate in the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town, the islands’ capital city. LSU will play games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the event, but first up is a matchup against the Illinois State Redbirds on Monday morning at 10 a.m. CT.

LSU enters at 3-0 to start the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era having won 91-62 in the last outing against New Orleans after it struggled a bit in the first two games. ISU comes into this one at 2-2 on the season under first-year coach Ryan Pedon, a former assistant at Illinois, Butler and, most recently, Ohio State.

The Redbirds beat Eastern Illinois but lost to Western Illinois, and they split a pair of matchups against Northwestern State last week. After this matchup, LSU will take on either Akron or Western Kentucky at either 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know to follow the opener from the Cayman Islands.

Five-star point guard set to decide between LSU, several others

Woodland Hills, California, prospect AJ Johnson will announce his commitment Monday. He has visited LSU and Texas.

The Tigers have a pair of basketball commits in the 2023 class in forward [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] and guard [autotag]Mike Williams[/autotag], but they will hope to add an elite player to that group.

Five-star point guard [autotag]AJ Johnson[/autotag] is set to announce his decision on Monday at noon CT. Johnson is a 6-foot-5, 170-pound player from Southern California Acadamey in Woodland Hills, California, and he ranks as the No. 14 player on the 247Sports Composite.

On3’s composite rankings list him at No. 16 nationally.

A combo guard who primarily plays the point, Johnson has already taken official visits to Texas and LSU, and he has also received interest from programs such as NC State, Louisville and USC. The Longhorns are currently seen as a heavy favorite, being given a 93.2% chance to land him.

Coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] signed the No. 16 recruiting class in the country last cycle. His haul in 2023 currently ranks just 45th, but adding a player like Johnson could certainly change that.

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PHOTOS: Tigers basketball beats New Orleans 91-62

LSU is 3-0 to start the Matt McMahon era.

LSU left little room for doubt in its beatdown win over New Orleans on Thursday night. The Tigers thrashed the Privateers in a 91-62 win as coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is 3-0 to start his tenure in Baton Rouge.

With the win over UNO, LSU has now won 27 straight games against fellow Louisiana programs.

The story of the game in this one were the transfers. [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] (Mississippi State) and [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] (NC State) combined to score 28 coming off the bench. Fountain had seven steals himself as the Tigers totaled 17 as a team, contributing to 23 total turnovers.

LSU now leaves the country to participate in the Cayman Islands Classic, where it will take on Illinois State on Monday morning at 10 a.m., followed by a contest against either Akron or Western Kentucky on Tuesday.

Here were the best pictures from Thursday night’s win.

Instant Analysis: LSU basketball cruises past New Orleans to start McMahon era 3-0

The Tigers won 91-62 over the Privateers and will head to the Cayman Islands at 3-0.

The Tigers’ first two games under new men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] were a bit closer than they would have hoped, but they dominated New Orleans on Thursday night essentially from start to finish as they earned a 91-62 win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU moves to 3-0 on the young season and has now won 27-straight games against other programs from the state of Louisiana, a streak that dates back to 2010.

The Privateers jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but that was the most competitive they would be all night. LSU’s subsequent 32-6 run essentially put the game out of reach, and it was 47-25 at the half. UNO’s 23 turnovers — which resulted in 22 points going the other way — proved costly in this one.

It was something of a breakout game for Mississippi State transfer [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag], who led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points coming off the bench. Meanwhile, NC State transfer [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] scored for the first time in an LSU uniform, scoring 12. Starting point guard [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] also scored 12.

It was an off night for leading scorer Adam Miller, who finished with just seven points on a 2 of 8 shooting game.

It was a good shooting night overall for the Tigers, who shot over 50% and were particularly effective in the second half, shooting 67%. However, New Orleans also shot in the neighborhood of 50% and likely could have kept this one closer were it not for sloppy play against an LSU defense that finished with 17 steals, seven of which came from Fountain.

LSU will now travel to the Cayman Islands to participate in the Cayman Islands Classic, where it will take on Illinois State on Monday morning at 10 a.m. CT.  It will play either Akron or Western Kentucky on Tuesday.

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Late run helps LSU basketball pull away from Arkansas State

The Tigers moved to 2-0 on the McMahon era, though it was close once again.

The Tigers got to 2-0 on the young 2022-23 college basketball season on Saturday, though each of those wins has been a bit shaky.

The latest, a 61-52 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves, was a five-point game at halftime. ASU cut that deficit to as little as two in the second half, but an 11-0 run for the Tigers helped them pull away to maintain their perfect start to the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era.

It was another huge game offensively for [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who missed all of last season with a torn ACL before the year. He totaled 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting, leading the team in scoring for the second game in a row. However, the team struggled a bit outside of Miller, shooting just 39.2 percent.

Two other LSU players scored in double figures in [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] (11 points) and [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] (15 points). The Tigers were also the beneficiary of 16 turnovers, which led to 23 points. They were out-rebounded in this game by a 35-34 margin, however.

The Tigers struggled against Red Wolves forward Omar El-Sheikh, who led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds. However, ASU shot even worse than LSU as a team at just 38.6%.

Early struggles are not unexpected for a team with a new coaching staff and so many fresh faces. The Tigers will hope for a more convincing win in their next outing against New Orleans at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night.

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