Coach Matt McMahon and the Tigers earned a big-time win vs. North Texas earlier this afternoon. Coming out on top 66-62, it was a hard-fought victory, but the LSU basketball offense left plenty to be desired. Notably, the team is yet to find a No. 1 scoring option, which could ultimately come back to bite them later in the season.
Coach Matt McMahon and the Tigers earn bounce-back win vs. North Texas
After starting the 2022-23 season with a 12-1 record, the Tigers’ performance fell off considerably, and they finished the year with a record of 14-19. Coach Matt McMahon, for obvious reasons, didn’t want a repeat of that performance. While he seems to be succeeding, the team is going in the opposite direction with the 2023-24 season.
After starting red hot with a 106-60 win over Mississippi Valley State, the group immediately returned to earth with two straight losses to Nicholls and Dayton.
Even more heartbreaking was that both losses came on last-second game-winning three-pointers from either team.
Fret not, though. Coach Matt McMahon got his team ready, and they showed up in a big way for their game against North Texas today. The team won 66-62 and, more importantly, didn’t make critical late-game mistakes.
“Really proud of our players,” coach Matt McMahon said in postgame. “Thought they responded in a great way, played with a lot of toughness. I have a lot of respect for North Texas. Really good basketball team. They’ve been the best defensive team the last three years.”
Notably, the LSU basketball offense scoring 66 is far more impressive than it might seem. Through the 2023-24 season, they’ve only allowed one team to score more, as the University of Northern Illinois scored 77 on the Mean Green.
“I really like our group,” the Tiger head coach continued later on about his team. “It was a good step for us to respond to last night’s tough loss, and now we just gotta stay focused on getting better and preparing for what we know will be another really good team on Sunday. That’s the beauty of these tournaments; you don’t get any easy games.”
With today’s win, the LSU basketball team is moving on to the consolation final, as they’ll face off against the winner of Towson vs. Wake Forest later today.
Next step needs to be finding a No. 1 scoring option for the LSU basketball offense
While it’s always good to get a win, the team has its fair share of concerns. One of the most significant weaknesses on the team thus far is an inability to find any rhythm on offense. Outside of their season opener against Mississippi Valley State, the LSU basketball offense has yet to score more than 67 in any of their last three games.
A big part of this is that they haven’t found a No. 1 scoring option on the roster. Pretty much everyone on the team is more than capable of getting hot at the right time, which is an excellent trait to have. The issue comes into play when they need a big shot but don’t exactly know who to go to.
Will Baker and Jalen Reed are the top two candidates through the early season. They currently lead the team in scoring with 13.7 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.
However, several other players have shown flashes through four games, including guys like Mike Williams III and Tyrell Ward. However, the jury’s still out, as Derek Fountain might have inserted his name into the discussion today.
“Just a huge response from him to come out, 6-for-6 from the floor, 14 (points) and seven (rebounds),” coach Matt McMahon said about the senior forward. “Was really aggressive at the basket, and I thought made some big defensive plays as well.”
Regardless of who takes the lead for the LSU basketball offense, this team has a ton of potential. Unfortunately, they also have many new pieces that are learning how to play together. If they can get things rolling soon, though, don’t be surprised to see them make a push come conference play.
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