Matt McMahon speaks on LSU's turnover issues

LSU is coming off a tough 81-76 defeat at the hands of Missouri in a game that was quite winnable if not for major LSU turnover issues.

The Tigers turned it over 16 times in the game and just a couple fewer might have been enough to make the difference. LSU managed to knock down 14 3-pointers in the game but still fell down the stretch as the turnover piled up.

“It’s tough. We haven’t shot the ball, you know the numbers, we haven’t shot it very well at all this season,” coach Matt McMahon told reporters after the game. “We’re 14-of-28 from three tonight. Did think we left some opportunities on the scoreboard around the rim. We were 7-of-21 from two-point range, which isn’t good enough.

“The turnovers, it’s just brutal. It’s just brutal, there’s no other way around it.”

The LSU coach summed it up quite succinctly in just one line after the game.

“In games we had opportunities to win this year we took care of the basketball,” McMahon said.

LSU’s turnover issues plague Tigers again

In a season in which LSU has secured only two conference wins to date, turnovers and giving other teams easy looks have been two major factors.

McMahon has talked about both all season.

“You look at 16 turnovers leads to 20 points for Missouri,” he said. “The way they score the ball they certainly don’t need you helping them out, giving them easy points.”

Indeed they do not. Especially on a night when Missouri seemed to have LSU figured out defensively.

Outside of the 3-point line, LSU didn’t have much that was working on offense.

“They do a good job defensively,” McMahon said. “I thought they really tightened their defense up down the stretch, obviously they were going to key in on taking KJ (Williams) away and we were unable to make plays off the bounce at that point when they were switching everything out.”

LSU will look to finish off the season on a strong note when it travels to Florida for a 6 p.m. ET tipoff on Saturday. The game will be carried on the SEC Network.