What a year it has been for LSU athletics! In April 2023, the womenâs basketball program won its first national championship. In June, LSU baseball won its seventh by beating Florida in three games. This leaves LSU football and the rest of the athletic department wondering, whoâs next?
LSU womenâs basketball and LSU baseball have each won a national championship in 2023
Baton Rouge is absolutely on fire right now. With two national championships in 2023, the city is undoubtedly antsy for the next one.
LSU womenâs basketball won their first championship in program history in dramatic fashion. In-conference team South Carolina was by far the favorite to win it all. They went undefeated through the regular season and were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Iowa would eventually take down the Gamecocks and earn their trip to the national championship to face off against LSU womenâs basketball. We all know how the rest of the story goes.
The Tigers won the championship game on April 2nd with a score of 102-85, led by star Angel Reese.
The Tigersâ baseball program followed a similar trajectory as the South Carolina womenâs basketball team throughout the season. They were ranked No. 1 for the vast majority before taking a short stumble to end the regular season.
Still, they fought back from that adversity and went on to win it all. LSU baseball beat Florida in three games, finishing the job on June 26th with a score of 18-4.
One of the most notable parts of the two national championship victories is when they occurred. Both coach Kim Mulkey (womenâs basketball) and coach Jay Johnson (baseball) were in the midst of their second years with the program. Now, with these two second-year Tiger coaches completing the ultimate goal, it begs the question, whoâs next?
LSU football is feeling particularly confident heading into Brian Kellyâs year two
It didnât take long for LSU football to find its way back into the national spotlight, did it? Just four seasons following their national championship run in 2019, the Tigers are firmly back in the conversation.
This seems especially true at the moment, as the womenâs basketball and baseball programs have helped to give a blueprint on how to make it happen. LSU athletics is truly on a roll.
Brian Kelly is officially heading into his second year with the program. Coaches Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson both won a national championship in their second seasons. Now, the football program seems pretty confident that Kelly could be next.
Before the LSU baseball game was even over, Logan Diggs, a running back transfer out of Notre Dame, was feeling ready to go. He decided to take to Twitter to make his plans for 2023 abundantly clear.
From there, the floodgates just opened up. Several other members of the football team decided to join in on the Twitter party, sharing a similar sentiment to Diggs. Among them were wide receiver Kyren Lacy and cornerback Ashton Stamps.
As things stand, LSU football has the sixth-best odds to win it all at +1600, according to Draft Kings. The teams listed in front of the Tigers are USC (+1400), Michigan (+900), Alabama (+600), Ohio State (+600) and Georgia (+210).
The 2023 season has the potential to be great for LSU football. Even better is that the players and coaching staff appear to be completely bought in.
LSU menâs basketball looks to take a significant jump in 2023
How much fun would this one be?
The LSU menâs basketball team went 14-19 overall with a 2-16 record in conference. At one point, they were on a 14-game losing streak.
However, with that being said, a lot can change in just one or two seasons. The womenâs basketball team went 9-13 in 2020. That was just two seasons prior to their national championship run.
While itâll take a significant step forward for the menâs basketball team to take that step forward, theyâre feeling confident regardless. It certainly helps that theyâve nearly wholly revamped the team, as theyâll have eight new members in 2023.
Following the LSU baseball championship victory, Jordan Wright, a transfer from Vanderbilt, felt particularly confident. With his âYear 2sâ comment on Twitter, heâs putting a significant vote of confidence in coach Matt McMahon.
Baton Rouge is beginning to feel pretty comfortable claiming the title of ânational champions.â Now, weâre all left wondering who will be next. Will it be LSU football? Will it be LSU basketball? Who knows, maybe LSU womenâs basketball will go ahead and repeat. Regardless of who it ends up being, LSU athletics is feeling confident heading into the next athletic calendar.
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