Matt McMahon spotlights team's character following 75-61 win over Vanderbilt

The LSU Tigers had five players score in double digits in their 75-61 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night. With the win, LSU improved to 16-13 overall and 8-8 in the SEC. After the victory, LSU head coach Matt McMahon took some time to speak with the SEC Network broadcast crew.

Matt McMahon interview with the SEC Network

The Tigers have now won four of their last five games. What changed for their roster in the last few weeks?

“Just our toughness,” McMahon said. “I think our guys have really sold out in getting better every day. And we had some tough losses. Maybe some players with lesser character might have laid down. But our guys really just came to work every day to keep getting better. And now here we are sitting at 8-8. We’ve found ways to win games and I can assure you, it’s not the coaching. Our players have been awesome.”

Jordan Wright pumped in 15 points and Jalen Reed came off the bench to score 13 points in the win.

What’s the LSU head coach’s primary message for his players as the team rolls into March and the upcoming SEC Tournament?

“Yeah, we’re real simple here,” the LSU head coach said. “Just wanna keep getting better and damn it, we wanna win. So, we’re right there in the mix. And to get into the top half of the SEC standings. And where we started, it’s pretty amazing. So, I’m really proud of our players. I want to keep fighting ’til the final buzzer here and keep getting better down the stretch and win games.”

He was quite pleased with how unselfish his players were on Saturday night and the way they shared the basketball. LSU dished out 12 assists and had five players finish in double figures.

“I thought we played with tremendous unselfishness tonight. The ball really moved. Vanderbilt’s adjusted a little bit of how they play defensively,” he finished. “And they really swarm the ball when you drive it. And I thought our guys did a great job just moving it. We didn’t make those open threes in the second half, but I thought we continued to get good looks. Unselfishness and tremendous effort on defense has been a good formula for us.:

LSU will finish up their regular season against Arkansas (Mar. 6) and Missouri (Mar. 9). Then they’ll get ready for the 2024 SEC Tournament, which will take place in Nashville, Tennessee.