Matt McMahon proud of improved rebounding by LSU guards

Although LSU dropped its third straight game Tuesday with a 67-56 loss to Florida, coach Matt McMahon still found some positives to take away. Improved rebounding overall, but especially from the guard position, was one area he made note of in his postgame press conference.

Despite the loss, the Tigers managed to outrebound the Gators 40-34 on the evening. That included an impressive effort from senior point guard Trae Hannibal, who finished as the team leader with 12 boards. He wasn’t the only one, however, as guards Justice Hill and Adam Miller combined for eight rebounds.

“There was improvement there, especially at the guard position,” McMahon said. “We’ve got quite a few guards who average between one and two rebounds a game. That’s not gonna be good enough for us. We did a much better job there.”

Rebounding has been an area of concern for LSU this season. The Tigers rank second-to-last in the SEC 34.4 rebounds per contest through the first 16 games.

Matt McMahon credited LSU’s improved rebounding on Tuesday to a couple of things. Firstly, he believes the Tigers also showed improved defensive play. However, he also admitted that the results may have been a result of the opponent. Only time will tell whether the Tigers are truly making progress.

“I think it was a byproduct of being dialed into the game defensively to force some tough, contested shots from the perimeter,” McMahon said. “They like to play four around one. So that put us in better position to rebound, whereas an A&M or Kentucky, they’re sending four guys to the offensive glass. So there was improvement there for sure, but we weren’t able to capitalize on that and turn that into many points in transition.”

LSU entered SEC play with an 11-1 record, and opened with a huge win against then-No. 9 Arkansas. However, things have taken a nose dive since, as they’ve now lost three straight, including the past two games by double digits.

The Tigers will look to snap their losing streak this weekend when they face No. 4 Alabama on the road in Tuscaloosa. Tip-off for that game is set for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.