Tag: Matt McMahon

Jalen Cook’s return boosts LSU offense in loss to Texas

Jalen Cook looked good in his return, but it wasn’t enough for LSU to get win against No. 19 Texas.

LSU got a key piece back when [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] returned to the floor on Saturday morning.

The guard began his collegiate career at LSU in 2020 before transferring to Tulane, where he spent the last two seasons.

At Tulane, he emerged as one of the top guards in the AAC and averaged 19 points per game over 50 career appearances.

His return to Baton Rouge was a welcome one given the struggles LSU had on offense last year, but his eligibility was unclear. But after a court prevented the NCAA from enforcing some transfer requirements earlier this week, Cook was able to suit up.

LSU didn’t get the win, but Cook’s return provided the boost the offense expected. LSU’s 85 points was the most it scored in regulation vs a Power 5 opponent all year.

McMahon wasn’t shy about playing Cook either, who saw the court for over 30 minutes on Saturday.

He scored in double-digits with 13 points, to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and two stills. However, Cook found himself in some foul trouble with four and it wasn’t the most efficient performance, going 5/15 from the field.

LSU now sits at 6-5 and this doesn’t look like a tournament team, but having Cook back could help LSU score some points in conference play.

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Former LSU coach Will Wade has strong words for NCAA

Former LSU basketball coach Will Wade had some strong words for the NCAA on Friday.

Former LSU basketball coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] is back on the sideline, remaining in Louisiana and leading McNeese State.

Wade was fired by LSU in March of 2022 after LSU received its notice of allegations from the NCAA. That trouble led McNeese to suspend Wade the first nine games of this season, but it now looks to be in the rearview mirror for the polarizing coach.

At a press conference on Friday morning, Wade was candid on his feelings regarding the NCAA. Spoiler alert: He’s not a fan.

“Legally, a lot of what the NCAA does it just flat illegal, I’ve learned that,” Wade said.

“There’s a reason they’re trying to get anti-trust exemption from Congress. They just need to blow the whole thing up and come back with a new model.”

Wade added the NCAA needs to engage in collective bargaining with the players and said until that happens, the NCAA will continue to get “smacked in court.”

This is a strong statement from Wade, who’s no stranger to NCAA controversy. At LSU, seven Level I allegations were levied against Wade’s program.

Despite leading LSU to three NCAA tournament appearances, he was only able to coach in one of them due to his suspension in 2019 and his firing in 2022.

Despite all that, Wade seems to be on to something with the NCAA as this remains an era of radical change for the sport.

McNeese is 9-2 and ranked in the KenPom top 100.

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LSU’s Jalen Cook seems to be in the clear after latest twist in NCAA 2-time transfer saga

After yet another twist, Jalen Cook seems primed to make his debut Saturday, after all.

While LSU coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] said Thursday that guard [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] would make his season debut on Saturday against Texas, some later developments called that into question.

Cook is awaiting a waiver from the NCAA as he is currently ineligible for the season as a two-time transfer. He began his career at LSU before transferring to Tulane, where he spent two seasons and ultimately returned to Baton Rouge this offseason.

On Wednesday, the NCAA lost a federal court case in Ohio that resulted in a temporary restraining order that essentially allowed ineligible athletes to compete during a 14-day window.

However, the NCAA later said it would punish players who participated during the temporary restraining order with the loss of a season of eligibility should that court ruling be eventually overturned.

While that created a conundrum for Cook and players in similar circumstances, they got some much-needed news on Friday. The temporary restraining order was changed into an injunction that will now last until the end of spring sports.

Even more notably, the NCAA has said that it will not retroactively punish players who participate, meaning that barring a setback, Cook will likely make his debut on Saturday.

However, the NCAA also previously said it wouldn’t punish players who participated during the 14-day window before reversing course. So Cook could still run the risk of another shift in NCAA policy later on.

In spite of that, it seems that Cook and other players in his position are finally in the clear to play in the 2023-24 season.

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Matt McMahon pleased with LSU’s second-half shooting in win over Alabama State

The Tigers will hope their second-half performance against Alabama State gives it momentum heading into Saturday’s game vs. Texas.

LSU’s men’s basketball team looked like it could be heading toward another ugly loss on Wednesday night.

It trailed by four at the half against Alabama State, but it ultimately pulled away to an 18-point win after outscoring the Hornets 44-22 in the second half as four players scored in double figures in the win.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] addressed the second-half turnaround after the win.

“In the second half, shooting the ball. I thought our pace offensively was better,” McMahon said, per On3. “I’m not talking about just sprinting up and down the floor in transition. I thought the ball movement was a lot crisper in the second half, our cuts were a lot sharper, we set better screens.

“So overall, I thought the execution was better, but I know we talked about it after that Kansas State game, I thought in the second half we passed up some good shots, or actually, some great shots in possessions and it led to a lesser shot later in the possession. I thought we did some of those same things again in the first half tonight.”

LSU will hope that gives the team something to build on as it heads into a critical game in Houston on Saturday against a Texas team that ranks 19th in the nation.

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NCAA reverses course on 2-time transfers: What it means for LSU’s Jalen Cook

Jalen Cook’s season debut may have to wait.

Jalen Cook’s LSU return may have to wait.

The former Tulane point guard began his career at LSU, but upon transferring back to Baton Rouge after two years in New Orleans, he was deemed ineligible for the 2023-24 season as a two-time transfer.

While awaiting a waiver, it seemed Cook got what he needed to make his season debut as a federal judge filed a temporary restraining order allowing ineligible athletes to play during a 14-day window.

The NCAA initially said it would not pursue retroactive action against any player who participated during the 14-day window if the ruling were later overturned, and coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] said he expected Cook to be available on Saturday against Texas in Houston.

Those plans may be on hold, however.

On Thursday, the NCAA reversed course. In its latest guidance, it deemed that players who participate during the window would lose a season of eligibility if the court order is ultimately reversed.

LSU hasn’t addressed its plan regarding Cook, but it’s hard to imagine he will play given the unclear circumstances.

His return would be welcome for a Tigers team that has struggled and sits at just 6-4 on the season. A two-year starter at Tulane, Cook averaged 19.9 points and 4.9 rebounds, leading the Green Wave.

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NEW: Transfer Jalen Cook expected to make LSU debut Saturday vs. Texas

Jalen Cook will finally make his long-awaited return to LSU.

The long-awaited return of [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] has finally arrived.

LSU head basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] said that he expects Cook will be available to make his debut with the Tigers this Saturday against Texas.

This decision comes on the heels of a restraining order placed on the NCAA stating that for the next 14 days, any athlete who has transferred multiple times will become immediately eligible. Cook fits that mold as he started at LSU before transferring to Tulane and then back to LSU.

The Tigers need him in a bad way offensively. LSU has scored only 57 points and 60 points in their last two big games. That will not get the job done in SEC play. For a team that did not win a conference game last season, LSU must find a way to score.

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Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball overcomes halftime deficit to beat Alabama State

It wasn’t a complete game, but the second half of Wednesday’s win gave the Tigers something to build on with ranked Texas up next.

After the first half against Alabama State on Wednesday night, it looked like LSU’s men’s basketball team was heading for another rough loss.

But after trailing at the break, coach Matt McMahon’s Tigers team took control in the second half. They pulled away to win 74-56 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, moving to 6-4 on the season.

LSU led for most of the first half, but it never managed to pull away with its largest lead in the frame being just six points. With an 8-0 run to end the half, the Hornets managed to take a 34-30 lead to the locker room despite being outshot 45% to 41%.

[autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag], who had nine points, was a bright spot. Otherwise, it was an ugly half for the Tigers, who were outrebounded 19-15 and had eight turnovers. They had no answer for ASU guard TJ Madlock, who paced his team with 15 first-half points.

The second half was all LSU, however. It outscored Alabama State 44-22 in the final 20 minutes, shooting 15 of 26 from the field in that span.

[autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] made the start and ultimately led the team with 15 points, while Reed and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] scored 13 and [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] scored 11. The Tigers also tightened up on the boards in the second half, doubling the Hornets up in rebounds after losing that battle in the first half.

While it wasn’t a complete game, the second-half performance gives LSU something to build on as it prepares to head to Houston with a huge opportunity in front of it against a ranked Texas team on Saturday.

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How to watch, betting odds as LSU men’s basketball host Alabama State on Wednesday night

The Tigers look to get back in the win column after Saturday’s 15-point loss to Kansas State.

After a disappointing 15-point loss at home to Kansas State on Saturday, [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and the LSU men’s basketball team will return to the court Wednesday night to host Alabama State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The Hornets are led by second-year head coach Tony Madlock and sit at 4-4 on the year having lost games to power conference opponents in Ole Miss and Iowa.

LSU, meanwhile, is 5-4 on the year and has dropped two of its last three. It needs to start piecing some wins together if it’s going to salvage the season as its NET Ranking currently sits outside the top 180.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch Wednesday night’s game against Alabama State, including the latest odds from BetMGM.

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Matt McMahon discusses technical foul called against him in Kansas State loss

Matt McMahon was frustrated with some of the traveling calls in a 15-point loss to Kansas State on Saturday.

LSU’s men’s basketball team suffered another frustrating loss on Saturday, dropping a home game it was favored in by 15 points against Kansas State.

In the loss, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] was assessed with a technical foul. After the game, he explained that his frustration stemmed from some of the travel calls being made in the game.

“No complaint,” McMahon said, per On3. “I just thought there were some tough travel calls there, one way or the other. It is what it is.”

It was the first technical foul McMahon has accrued since his tenure began in Baton Rouge.

The loss ultimately went down as a Quadrant 3 defeat for LSU, which fell to 5-4 on the season. That’s not exactly the start the team was hoping for after a last-place finish in the SEC last season.

The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday night against Alabama State before it has another big opportunity against Texas in Houston on Saturday.

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Top-100 2025 small forward, LSU target recaps last season’s trip to Baton Rouge

The Tigers are still looking to pick up their first commitment in the 2025 class.

LSU men’s basketball and coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] haven’t landed a commitment in the 2025 class yet, but the team is in the mix for a lot of top players.

Top-100 small forward [autotag]Tylis Jordan[/autotag], a native of Louisville, Georgia, has taken six official visits so far. One of those trips was to Baton Rouge last September, prior to McMahon’s first season with the Tigers.

The 2025 prospect had positive things to say when recounting that trip to On3’s Joe Tipton recently.

“I like what coach (Matt) McMahon is doing down there,” he said. “Obviously when I visited there it was year one, but I like how I got to talk to each and every coach and seeing their plan. They’re slowly but surely building something over there with how they develop their players.”

Jordan ranks as the No. 79 player in the 2025 class per On3, and Alabama is currently a slim favorite to land him per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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