Tag: Matt McMahon

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.

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Angel Reese says she was knocked down while storming the court after LSU’s win over Kentucky

One of the many people who were in attendance on Wednesday night was LSU women’s hoops star Angel Reese.

On Wednesday night, the LSU men’s basketball team pulled off a feat that many people deemed impossible. [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and his team pulled off a last-second shot to beat the Kentucky Wildcats 75-74 at the PMAC.

One of the many people who were in attendance was LSU women’s hoops star [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag]. When the clock hit triple zeroes and it was announced that the final shot from LSU counted, Tigers fans stormed the court to celebrate the huge win.

The one drawback to that is you run the risk of being run over or getting into an altercation. Reese ended up getting knocked down as the Tigers celebrated their huge victory. Thankfully, she did not suffer any injuries during the ordeal.

What a job McMahon has done this season turning this team around. Last season, his team failed to win any conference games. Now, he has back-to-back wins over ranked conference opponents.

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PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball comes back to upset No. 11 South Carolina in Columbia

The Tigers rallied from down 16 to upset South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday.

Like in the midweek game against Florida, LSU’s men’s basketball team overcame a major second-half deficit on Saturday against No. 11 South Carolina.

Unlike in that game, however, the Tigers came away with the win this time around.

Trailing by 16 in the second half, coach Matt McMahon’s team erased that lead and forced a key turnover in the final seconds. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag], who had 14 points in the game, was clutch down the stretch.

He made a pair of free throws down one that ultimately set the decisive score at 66-63. LSU moves to 13-12 (5-7 SEC) and will welcome Kentucky to town on Wednesday night for what will be its fifth straight Quadrant 1 game.

For now, here are the photos from the come-from-behind win.

Matt McMahon updates injury suffered by LSU’s Jordan Wright vs. Alabama

Jordan Wright seemed to suffer an injury in the Tigers 109-92 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

LSU Tigers wing [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] seemed to suffer an injury in the 109-92 loss to Alabama on Saturday. Wright has started in 22 of the 23 games this season for LSU and has been productive.

Wright has averaged 15 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and a team-high 2.8 assists per game.

He finished the game with nine points on 1-of-5 shooting. LSU dropped to 12-11 overall this season and 4-6 in SEC play. After the game, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] was asked about the status of Wright going forward after suffering an injury.

Here is what he had to say about it.

“He’s been recovering from an illness last week, but I think what happened is he got clipped on a screen coming out there in the first half,” McMahon said, per On3. “It looked like a Charley horse situation. Had the horrific fall. Was really fortunate there. I think he landed on Nelson. I think just got hit there in the quad by a knee on a screen.”

It seems as though Wright will be alright in the long haul so that is a positive for LSU.

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Five takeaways from LSU men’s basketball’s home loss to Alabama

Here are five takeaway’s from LSU’s loss against Alabama on Saturday.

LSU picked up its fifth loss in its last six games on Saturday. Hosting Alabama, LSU lost 109-92.

LSU led 73-72 with 9:06 to go, but Alabama scored 38 points in the final nine minutes to finish the game on a 38-19 run.

This was the second meeting in two weeks between the two, with Alabama getting the best of LSU in Tuscaloosa on Jan, 27 with a 109-88 win.

LSU now sits at 12-11 on the year and 4-6 in conference play. Matt McMahon’s group will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday when LSU takes a trip to Gainesville.

But for now, here are five takeaways from LSU’s loss to Alabama.

How to watch, betting odds as LSU men’s basketball travels to face No. 6 Tennessee on Wednesday night

The Tigers are looking for a massive win on the road Wednesday night.

After a big win over Arkansas on Saturday that ended a three-game losing streak, LSU’s men’s basketball team will hit the road on Wednesday night for what should be a much tougher contest.

The Tigers face No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville. The Volunteers are coming off a big win on the road against Kentucky. Prior to that, they lost on their home court to a red-hot South Carolina team.

If LSU is going to salvage something at the end of the season, it likely needs to start in Knoxville. Here’s everything you need to know as coach Matt McMahon’s team looks for a big win, including the latest betting odds from BetMGM.

Former LSU head coach Will Wade agrees to extension with McNeese State

Former LSU basketball coach Will Wade signed an extension with McNeese after a 20-3 start.

Former LSU basketball coach and current McNeese State coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] will be remaining in Louisiana.

According to Jon Rothstein, Wade signed a five-year contract extension that will pay $700,000 per year.

If another program wants to hire Wade this cycle, it’ll have to pay McNeese a $1.25 million buyout. Next year, that number drops to $1 million.

Wade is finding success in his first season. McNeese is 20-3 and ranks 76th in KenPom. The Cowboys are a heavy favorite to win the Southland Conference, which would put Wade back in the NCAA Tournament.

Wade coached at LSU from 2017-22, but he was fired following LSU receiving a notice of allegations, largely surrounding the men’s basketball program under Wade.

At LSU, Wade went 105-51. His program appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times, though he only got the chance to coach in one of them.

Wade is well-connected in Louisiana and has recruited well at McNeese thus far, but McNeese is looking at a different level of prospect than LSU, so nothing has come at the Tigers’ expense.

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Matt McMahon discusses switching the starting lineup in Arkansas win

The main objective is to find a way to win. That is exactly what LSU accomplished on Saturday.

Before the LSU Tigers took on the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday, Tigers head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] decided to make a change to the starting lineup. he decided to start [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] and have [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] come off of the bench.

The lineup change did not seem to affect Cook at all as he had a great game. He finished with 20 points, three assists, and three rebounds in 20 minutes and 52 seconds on the court. Cook was 5-for-8 from the floor, 3-for-5 behind the three-point line, and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

After the game, McMahon was asked what his thought process was on making the change before the game.

“Just a coach’s decision,” McMahon said, per On3. “I thought we needed to change. Really, that’s all there is to it.

“I think, sometimes, everyone gets so concerned – ‘Who starts?’, ‘Who does this?’, ‘Who does that?’. The ultimate goal is just, for us, to find ways to win. And for each player to perform at their very best,” McMahon stated. “So, sometimes? You change.”

The main objective is to find a way to win. That is exactly what LSU accomplished.

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Matt McMahon praises ball movement against Arkansas

Matt McMahon credited the Tigers’ ball movement for the big victory.

On Saturday, LSU men’s basketball put a beatdown on the Arkansas Razorbacks with a 95-74 victory. The Tigers outscored Arkansas 45-30 in the first half and 50-44 in the second half as they made sure the game was never in jeopardy of being lost.

[autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] led the way for the Tigers, scoring 25 points in the win.

It was the fourth conference victory of the year for LSU and a great tune-up for the Tigers before they travel to Knoxville to take on the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers next Wednesday. After the game, McMahon credited the Tigers’ ball movement for the big victory.

“I thought our efficiency was really good because of the unselfish play,” McMahon said per On3. “Big concern for us coming into the game was Arkansas was, I believe, fourth or fifth in getting to the free-throw line in the country. So they get there 33 times tonight but we got there 28 and made 25 of them because of the spacing and some strong drives that our players were making and the good decision-making.”

If LSU wants to keep winning conference games, they will need to distribute the ball the way they did against Arkansas.

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Matt McMahon praises LSU men’s basketball’s ‘team effort’ in big win over Arkansas

The Tigers battled injuries and illness during the bye week, but they didn’t show it on Saturday.

LSU entered Saturday’s home matchup against a floundering Arkansas team desperate for a win, and it got one.

The Tigers ended a three-game skid with a decisive, 95-74 win in a game that it controlled throughout. Now, the Tigers sit at 4-4 in SEC play and have already doubled their league win total from a season ago.

After the game, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] praised what he called a “terrific” team effort.

“Thrilled with our players’ performance today,” McMahon said, per On3’s Matthew Brune. “I thought they were just terrific; a true team effort for 40 minutes. I thought on the defensive end, we were really locked in to the game plan and the things we needed to do. Then offensively, I thought it was just a really unselfish, disciplined performance. It’s a lot of fun to watch us play that way. Most of all, I’m really proud of our players for their response this week. The bye week didn’t go exactly as we had planned; we had some injury and illness early in the week that kind of changed up our schedule. But, I thought our guys really competed throughout the week and found ways to get better, and then came out with an 11 a.m. start today with a tough, together performance to get us a big win here at home.”

LSU’s ball movement was on display in the win. It had 17 assists to Arkansas’ 10 with [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] leading the team with six. That helped LSU score its most points in SEC play so far this season.

“That’s the key,” McMahon said of the team’s fluidity on offense. “Since December, we’ve been playing a lot faster and our spacing is a lot better, so when we move the ball and execute, we have really good players and when they play well, it allows us to score 95 points. Our efficiency was really good because of the unselfish play. A big concern was Arkansas being top five in the country in getting to the free throw line and they got there 33 times today, but we got there 28 times and made 25 of them because of the spacing and the strong drives and good decision making.”

It’s a nice win for the Tigers, who likely kept whatever outside hopes of an NCAA tournament bid remain alive on Saturday. But the real test will come on Wednesday night when they hit the road to take on a Tennessee team that’s one of the best in the conference.

“You hope it leads to more confidence,” McMahon said. “When you see the hard work and the trust they played with, you see that it works. Our guys should have confidence and we’ll keep getting better as we prepare for the next opportunity.”

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