Tag: Tyrell Ward

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball falls to Dayton on last-second heartbreaker in Charleston Classic opener

The Tigers squandered a major opportunity on Thursday evening in Charleston.

LSU’s men’s basketball team looked like it was going to bounce back from the loss to Nicholls in tremendous fashion with a win over Dayton for nearly 40 minutes on Thursday afternoon, but a gutsy comeback and last-second go-ahead three gave the Flyers the 70-67 win in the quarterfinal round of the Charleston Classic.

After a tightly contested first half that saw the Tigers take a 32-30 lead to the locker room, they stretched that lead to as much as 15 with under 10 minutes to play in the game. But Dayton went on a 17-2 run to get back in the game, and Nate Santos’ shot in the final seconds proved to be the game-winner as a Carlos Stewart three fell short at the buzzer.

LSU finished the game shooting above 50% as a team, but it wasn’t as efficient down the stretch and had eight second-half turnovers.

[autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] was a bright spot, leading the team with 16 points, while [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] scored 12 and [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored 10. Defensively, LSU held the Flyers under 40% shooting but struggled to contain stars Santos (19 points), Javon Bennett (16) and Koby Brea (13).

It was an excellent opportunity to earn a win over a possible tournament team, but now the 1-2 Tigers will have to look elsewhere to start rebuilding their resume. They will be back in action on Friday morning against North Texas, which lost 53-52 against St. John’s. at 10:30 a.m. CT.

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LSU men’s basketball rolls in opener against Mississippi Valley State

LSU is trying to erase last year’s disappointing campaign, and it got off to a nice start Monday night.

The Tigers badly want to erase a disappointing Year 1 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], and they’re certainly off to a great start.

LSU’s men’s basketball team rolled in its season opener against Mississippi Valley State, winning 106-60 in our first look at this new, transfer-heavy group.

It was a fantastic night for the offense, which shot 57.6% from the field. The real standout was [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], a Nevada transfer who went off for a game-high 29 points on 10 of 11 shooting. Vanderbilt transfer [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] also scored in double figures with 12 points, as did Kentucky transfer [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] with 11 each.

It’s hard to find much fault with the defense, either, which held the Devils to 38.2% shooting from the field. LSU also forced 22 turnovers, which resulted in 35 points.

The Tigers will face tougher opponents this season, and it’s too early to tell if this team has taken a substantive leap. But this was an encouraging way to start, and we’ll see if this team can keep it up when it returns to the court to host Nicholls on Friday night.

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Matt McMahon details schematic changes heading into Year 2 at LSU

The Tigers employed some different looks from last season in their 132-44 exhibition win over Louisiana Christian.

LSU needed to get the taste of a bad Year 1 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] out of its mouth, and it took last season’s frustrations out on an NAIA opponent on Monday night.

The Tigers stomped Louisiana Christian in an 88-point win, taking their exhibition 132-44.

After a tough first season in Baton Rouge, McMahon hit the transfer portal to bring in one of the best hauls in the country. We saw the new-look roster Monday night, but we also saw some schematic changes.

On defense, the Tigers utilized halfcourt trapping to force turnovers, of which they got 21 resulting in 39 points the other way. McMahon explained the change after the game, per On3.

“I like it,” McMahon said. “The way the defensive system is structured this year fits out personnel really well. Not only do we have size and athleticism in the frontcourt, but in the backcourt we have [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] who’s 6-7 and a long athlete, [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] is 6-6 and can guard multiple positions on the court. Mwani has played in a switching defense here in the past where he was very successful, so that’s certainly the hope to get better on the defensive side of the ball so that it can fuel your transition attack.”

The changes weren’t just defensive. After shooting just 32.7% from three-point range last season, the Tigers connected on 65.5% of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. Five players in total made threes.

“I thought our spacing was good and then I thought because guys passed up good shots to get great shots, we were able to get high-quality looks and guys stepped up and knocked them down,” McMahon said. “I think it was just a product of having good shooters on our team, I expect us to shoot the ball well. The unselfishness led to some high-quality looks and guys delivered.”

Obviously, the Tigers will face much tougher competition once the regular season starts, but there were certainly positive signs from Monday’s exhibition. McMahon and LSU kick off the 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 against Mississippi Valley State.

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LSU men’s basketball starts season with huge exhibition win over Louisiana Christian

The Tigers began the 2023-24 season with a 132-44 exhibition win over NAIA Louisiana Christian.

LSU’s men’s basketball team enters the 2023-24 season looking to wash away the bad taste from last season’s losing record and 2-16 finish in SEC play. The Tigers certainly got off to a nice start in Year 2 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], taking down NAIA Louisiana Christian 132-44.

Vanderbilt transfer [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] led the way for the LSU offense, which shot 73.1% from the field as a team. He scored 19 points followed by [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] (19 points) and [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] (17).

All in all, seven Tigers scored in double figures. Transfers [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] (15 points), [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] (14) and [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] (12) were among those players.

It was also an impressive game on the defensive end for the Tigers, which allowed the Wildcats to shoot just 24.2% from the field while forcing 21 turnovers (resulting in 39 points the other way) and outrebounding Louisiana Christian 49-23.

It wasn’t a Division I opponent, but it’s certainly a positive sign for the Tigers as they look to return to contending for the NCAA Tournament. LSU will begin its regular season on Nov. 6 against Mississippi Valley State.

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LSU men’s basketball dominates Bahamas in exhibition

LSU didn’t need a late comeback this time around.

After the Tigers needed a comeback to get past Puerto Rico in Monday’s exhibition from Paradise Island, Bahamas, coach Matt McMahon’s LSU men’s basketball team took care of business easily on Tuesday against the host nation.

The Tigers dominated the Bahamas in a 120-59 win, using a 21-0 run in the second quarter to overcome a slow start.

“I think we learned a lot from yesterday’s game when we kind of fell apart there in the third quarter,” McMahon said in a release. “I was just so pleased with the character of the team and with so many new faces we found a way to come together, get over the hump, get the stops we needed and had guys hit big shots for us as we found a way to win. I think that carried over into today’s game. I loved the unselfishness that we played with, having 27 assists. I thought after a slow start on the defensive end in the first quarter we were a lot more disciplined, active and aggressive on that side of the ball for the final three quarters.”

[autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] led the team in scoring once again with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting alongside big man [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], who also scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting.

“I thought Will (Baker) showed his versatility,” McMahon said. “He scored off the drives from the elbow area. I thought what helped him get freed up inside was that he set a lot of great screens and that gave him the opportunity to create an angle in the post. The guys did a terrific job feeding the ball into him. I was pleased in the second half that we were able to cut our turnovers down, only six there. I thought we were a lot more fundamentally sound than the first three halves we have played here.”

[autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] had 16 points, [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] had 15, while true freshman [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] scored 10. [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] also nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore forward [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] also made his first appearance after missing most of the summer with a knee injury.

“It was great to see Jalen (Reed) back,” McMahon said. “He has missed most of the summer with an injury and just got back last week. He’s had really good individual workouts here and was cleared to play, so I thought you saw his improvement on the defensive glass that was really good today and his ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays for not only himself but others as well. Really happy and excited to see him back on the court.”

LSU will finish up its exhibition tour in the Bahamas on Thursday when it faces Argentinas Obras Sanitarias at 1 p.m. CT.

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LSU basketball comes back to beat Puerto Rico in Bahamas exhibition

The Tigers squandered a big halftime lead, but they battled back to win the exhibition game.

The LSU Tigers had to overcome a seven point deficit at the end of the third quarter, but coach Matt McMahon’s team battled back to beat Puerto Rico 86-82 at the Imperial Ballroom in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

“I was thrilled to see some of the leadership and the response from some of our older guys there in the fourth quarter,” McMahon said in a release. “The third quarter was arguably the worst quarter in the history of Bahamas basketball. Finding a way to respond to that, I thought Mwani Wilkinson hit two huge threes for us, [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] hit a huge three. I loved our unselfishness on the offensive end of the floor. 20 assists on 29 baskets, we moved and shared the ball. The problem is the turnovers and illegal screens cost us a lot of possessions. Overall, it was a great experience for our guys to learn from: the positive response in the fourth quarter, the energy and effort in the first half and to learn from the tragedy of the third quarter.”

LSU led 50-30 at halftime in the game, which wasn’t broadcast. But some sloppy play — namely a concerning 29 turnovers — allowed Puerto Rico to get back in the game.

Still, some timely offense allowed LSU to erase a late deficit and take the win. [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] led the team with 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting, including a 3 of 6 performance behind the arc.

Transfers [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and Collins each scored 13 points, while transfer big man [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] had 11, as did [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag]. As a team, LSU shot 57% from the field in a solid offensive performance.

“I thought Tyrell (Ward) has had a great offseason,” McMahon said. “We all know he is wired to score, and I thought he shot the ball well. He was able to get out in transition and get some baskets for us, he hit two clutch free throws late in the game. I thought Daimion (Collins) really responded well in the fourth quarter and made big plays for us. He ran the floor, had a couple of putback and got a rim runner for a dunk to put us up one and of course, the big three he hit. I thought you saw Will (Baker), not only his ability to score in the post but also his passing. For us right now, with so many guys out, having another guy like Will who can facilitate is important.”

The one negative for the Tigers came in the game’s opening seconds, when true freshman Mike Williams suffered an injury while hyperextending his knee on a breakaway layup. After the game, McMahon didn’t have an update on his condition.

LSU will be back in action on Tuesday when it takes on the Bahamas.

“Excited to get to play again tomorrow,” McMahon said. “Jalen Reed will work out in the morning and we think he will be able to play some tomorrow which will be good for us. Just another opportunity to get better. The reality is we have eight newcomers and combining them with our five returners so the opportunities are priceless to work together and get into some game situations and play different combinations of people together and start to establish the chemistry of the team.”

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What to make of Matt McMahon’s tough first year at LSU

Matt McMahon’s first year at LSU is done. Where do the Tigers go from here?

The NCAA Tournament is set to begin soon, and LSU won’t be in it.

That’s different from these last few years. With [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag], aside from the COVID year, LSU fans got used to watching basketball in March.

The Tigers have made the last three NCAA Tournaments.

LSU never made a special run at a Final Four, though there was a Sweet 16 appearance. But after several years of struggles, the tournament appearances were enough to satisfy LSU fans in an ever improving SEC.

There was even an SEC title throw in there too.

Stars from those teams have now found success in the NBA, whether it be [autotag]Naz Reid[/autotag] or [autotag]Cam Thomas[/autotag].

LSU finished dead last in the SEC this year. Wade was let go a year ago after LSU received a notice of allegations and in the wake of it, LSU basketball has tripped, stumbled and fallen.

Several players from Wade’s team transferred out. At one point, LSU was without any scholarship player on the roster. LSU hired [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] from Murray State and he recouped some of the losses. Most notably, he convinced guard [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] to return.

McMahon brought a number of his players from a good Murray State team too, along with a couple of blue-chip recruits.

Things didn’t look that bad anymore. The team wasn’t overflowing with talent but it had experienced players who had won at a high level. LSU started 5-0 and moved to 12-1. LSU finished off December with a win over No. 9 ranked Arkansas.

Following the Arkansas win, fans celebrated McMahon’s quick turnaround. The group had gelled fast, and LSU was going to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In the next game, the Tigers put up a fight on the road at Kentucky. Not a win, but more evidence the program was trending up and worthy of conference-wide attention.

Then it started to crumble. LSU lost by seven on the road to a Texas A&M team that turned out to be pretty good. Still not the end of the world. Then LSU lost again, to a Florida team that frankly, wasn’t that good.

LSU then lost again and again and again. A team that was 12-1 was 12-15 and any hope for postseason play had long disappeared.

You could chalk that 12-1 start up to mostly weak opponents. But Arkansas is No. 19 in KenPom, and the Tigers beat a Wake Forest team that won 19 games.

LSU’s lone loss in that stretch was by two points to a Kansas State team that’s 23-9. It really doesn’t make sense. But that’s how Year 1s are sometimes. This was a team with a new coach at a new place that’s never played together before.

This season is now in the rearview mirror. I don’t want to get caught up on diagnosing every issue.

Where does LSU go from here?

There’s sure to be plenty of turnover again. [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], LSU’s best player, will be gone. He was responsible for so much of LSU’s production this year.

Replacing him in a normal situation will be tough. Replacing him in a rebuild, even tougher.

McMahon was hired as a developmental guy. [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] didn’t turn to the proven Power Five winner like he did with football and baseball. With McMahon, Woodward’s playing the long game and the contract McMahon received reflects that.

McMahon signed three four-stars last cycle: [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag]. That’s LSU’s future core. It’s pivotal that McMahon holds on to them.

If they leave, that’s when I’d start questioning if McMahon is right for this rebuild.

The pieces for improvement are here. You just have to believe McMahon is a guy capable of developing at LSU like he did at Murray State.

You don’t need elite recruiting classes to win in college basketball. Teams have made runs strictly on developing players.

McMahon added a slew of transfers last year and getting their veteran presence back would be nice, but LSU needs to mine talent in the portal, especially at the guard position.

LSU has a couple of top 200 recruits on their way in. [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Williams[/autotag]. Based on how McMahon treated the freshmen this year, don’t expect a ton from them next year.

It’s too early to make big declarations on what the roster could look like. This is still a program in flux, and in this era, anything can happen.

This offseason, even more so than last, is critically important for McMahon and staff. Last year was excusable. Finishing last in the SEC again next year won’t be.

This is the new SEC. It doesn’t matter if you’re a football school. Athletic departments with money are expected to be relevant in basketball.

Fans want to see this program competing for conference titles once again.

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LSU basketball drops heartbreaker at Georgia as losing streak continues

LSU came up empty in its best shot to end the skid, which extends to 13 games.

The Tigers had their best chance yet to end their 12-game losing streak on Tuesday night on the road against Georgia.

Down one with possession in the final 20 seconds, [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] hit a go-ahead shot with just 11 seconds left, but Georgia’s Justin Hill answered with an acrobatic layup to retake the lead with seven seconds to play. Tyrell Ward’s inbound pass went offline, resulting in a turnover, and UGA survived 65-63 after a made free throw and missed full-court buzzer-beater shot from LSU.

The Tigers (12-14, 1-12 SEC) remain in last place in the league standings as the losing streak reaches 13 games.

Awful starts have defined LSU’s losing streak, but it avoided one this time around. Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate, but despite getting into early foul trouble, the Tigers led for most of the first half.

They had a chance to break things open against a UGA team that shot just 29.6% in the opening 20 minutes, and they led by as much as eight. But the Bulldogs came back and cut that lead to just two points at the break.

LSU’s offense struggles continued in the second, but Georgia’s reversed. UGA shot over 60% in the period and quickly retook the lead, holding it for most of the half as the script flipped.

It was a great game for Williams, who finished with a game-high 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting with nine rebounds, but no one else scored in double figures. LSU won the rebounding battle, but general sloppiness ultimately doomed the offense, which committed 19 turnovers.

The defense, meanwhile, sent Georgia to the line 26 times where it fortunately left 11 points on the table.

It was a frustrating loss for an LSU team that has gotten close but can’t get over the hump. If that’s going to happen, it will likely need to happen in the next outing on Saturday when the Tigers host one of the league’s worst teams in South Carolina.

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PHOTOS: LSU basketball can’t complete comeback effort against Texas A&M, lose 12th straight

The Tigers will have to wait another game to try and end the losing streak.

The Tigers overcame an early 26-4 deficit against Texas A&M on Saturday night, bringing the game within eight points in the final minute. But the early hole coach Matt McMahon’s team dug itself in wasn’t enough to overcome as LSU lost 74-62 to the Aggies at the PMAC.

The Tigers (12-13, 1-11 SEC) lost despite 18 points from [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] and a career-high 15 points from true freshman [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag], and their losing streak now extends to 12 games. LSU will hope to end the skid and earn its first win in 2023 on Tuesday night when it travels to take on a Georgia team that beat Kentucky on Saturday.

The Tigers now fall into sole possession of last place in the SEC with South Carolina’s win at Ole Miss. Here are the photos from the loss.

LSU basketball loses again despite overcoming large early deficit against Texas A&M

The Tigers’ losing streak reached 12 games on Saturday night.

It looked like LSU was heading for another blowout loss in the opening minutes against Texas A&M on Saturday night.

It ultimately fought back and made the game respectable, but it wasn’t enough to end a losing streak that now reaches 12 with a 74-62 loss at the PMAC. Coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and his team will have to wait a few more days to try to get the first win since the calendar turned to 2023.

With the loss and South Carolina’s win over Ole Miss on Saturday, LSU (12-13, 1-11 SEC) sits alone in last place in the SEC.

It was another disastrous start to the game for the Tigers. They made just 1 of their first 14 shots and trailed 26-4 at one point as the Aggies were knocking them down at a high rate.

Things picked up a little bit thanks to a pair of threes to end the field goal drought, but LSU went cold again in the final minutes of the frame and ultimately trailed 41-17 after shooting 26.1% from the field.

LSU came out of the locker room with a lot of energy, though, and things picked up quite a bit offensively. It hit nine of its first 13 shots in the second half, going on a 22-10 run to get back in the game and cut the deficit to 12 at the under-12 timeout.

Despite going cold with a scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes, LSU continued to battle and cut the lead to just eight with a three-pointer from [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who scored a team-high 18 points and was 4 of 10 from downtown.

LSU never got closer than that, however, and had to play the foul game in the final minute. The Tigers ultimately had no answer for Wade Taylor IV, who had 23 points. Dexter Dennis and Baton Rouge native Tyrece Radford also scored in double figures.

In addition to Miller’s contributions, true freshman [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] had a career game with 15 points. LSU finished shooting above 50% in the second half, but seven turnovers in the period ultimately proved to be too much to overcome.

The schedule now at least eases up a bit for the Tigers, who will travel to play Georgia on Tuesday before returning home to play South Carolina on Saturday.

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