Report: Favorite emerging for Will Wade replacement at LSU

A favorite is emerging to be chosen to right the ship that Will Wade left in rough condition at LSU. According to Billy Embody of On3 and Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Murray State head coach Matt McMahon has the inside-track to the Tigers job.

First, Goodman reported that McMahon was firmly in the mix to be Wade’s replacement at LSU.

“Murray State head coach Matt McMahon is in the mix for the LSU opening, source told @Stadium,” tweeted Goodman. “LSU also looked at Todd Golden before he was hired at Florida.”

Then, Embody added that not only is McMahon in the mix — he’s the favorite to be the next coach of LSU.

“Building off Jeff’s report — Hearing things went well today for Matt McMahon at #LSU and he’s the front runner for the job,” tweeted Embody.

Evidently, LSU has been impressed with the job McMahon has done at Murray State. Since taking over the Racers prior to the 2015 season, McMahon has led Murray State to a fantastic 154-67 record. Additionally, the program has made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Moreover, McMahon is coming off his best season yet at Murray State. The Racers amassed a record of 31-3, while winning all 18 of their conference games. As you can see, his team was one of the most dominant in the nation. However, it didn’t carry over into the NCAA Tournament — Murray State was eliminated by upstart Saint Peter’s in the 2nd Round on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the future is bring for Matt McMahon at LSU. The Tigers have been a consistent NCAA Tournament team over recent seasons, and that shouldn’t change under his leadership.

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Furthermore, Matt McMahon would takeover an LSU program that has been stricken with controversy throughout Will Wade’s tenure. After it all came to a head with his firing, the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament under the leadership of assistant Kevin Nickelberry.

Still, it was too much for the Tigers to overcome. LSU was defeated in the 1st Round by Iowa State, who advances to the Sweet 16 on Sunday. Under McMahon’s leadership, the Tigers will be looking for deeper runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Moreover, McMahon and Murray State defeated San Francisco and coach Todd Golden in their lone NCAA Tournament victory. That’s a coaching matchup LSU fans should get used to, as Golden was hired by Florida following the showdown.

If Matt McMahon can lock-down the LSU coaching gig, the future is bright for LSU. There’s a lot to work back from, but the Murray State coach has the make-up to do so.