Assessing both LSU basketball programs entering final stretch of 2023

When LSU’s women’s basketball team was in the final minutes of a close game with Arkansas on Jan. 19, it was just the second time the PMAC felt alive all year. LSU’s women’s team has destroyed every team in it’s path over the past three months and is now 20-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country. 

It was refreshing to see them challenged. That speaks to how dominant Kim Mulkey’s team has been.

The only other time the PMAC has been as invested in a game this season was on Dec. 28, when the LSU men beat Arkansas 60-57, improving to 12-1 and 1-0 in conference play. That was also the last time Matt McMahon’s team won a game. The Tigers have lost seven straight with the last six coming by 11 or more. 

The two programs could not be much farther apart. Comparing a Hall of Fame coach in Mulkey to McMahon, who is in his first year from Murray State and had plenty to deal with this offseason, is not fair. Unfortunately for McMahon, seemingly every program wins at LSU, so losing stands out.

Here are my thoughts on both programs and their outlooks moving forward.

Women’s basketball demands your attention

Let’s start with the positive. The 20-0 start is no longer something you can ignore. The PMAC is closing in on a sellout for Monday’s game against Tennessee. The Tigers have a national player of the year candidate in Angel Reese. They have the best freshman in the SEC in Flau’jae Johnson. Jasmine Carson is a 3-point sniper. Ladazhia Williams is a tough rebounder and interior scorer. Alexis Morris is the savvy veteran who continues to pick her spots. 

All of them are led by Kim Mulkey who seemingly knows exactly how to get the most out of them every step of the way. 

While everyone’s eyes are on South Carolina on Feb. 12, the Tennessee game is nearly as important. The Volunteers are 8-0 in conference play and have bounced back nicely from a non-conference that featured six losses, but all to teams ranked in the top 25, most in the top 10.

Get a win on Monday, take care of business against Georgia and Texas A&M, two of the worst teams in the SEC, and it likely sets up a 1 vs. 2 undefeated matchup on Feb. 12 in South Carolina. 

This is where it really starts to get interesting for Mulkey’s team.

Do the men have any hope?

If you’ve already said you’re done with the men’s basketball season, I don’t blame you. The past six games have been borderline unwatchable. The offense now ranks dead last in the conference in Kenpom and the defense is only slightly better.

Matt McMahon continues to try new lineups and new defenses, but ultimately, nothing has worked. Players like Adam Miller, Trae Hannibal, and Jalen Reed are far too limited, while Cam Hayes has come crashing back down to Earth with five points in the last three games.

Let’s try to present some optimism, though. The schedule has been as brutal as we thought it would be. The hope entering the conference season from me was to get to 3-5 through eight games and go into the back half looking to get to seven or eight wins. 

Over the first eight games of the conference, LSU faced eight teams in the top 50 of Kenpom, in the final ten SEC games, LSU will play just three teams in the top 50 (Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M). Now, the Tigers are still ranked lower than every team on their schedule besides South Carolina, but the point is there will be opportunities for LSU against teams with similar talent level. 

It starts with a home non-conference game on Saturday against Texas Tech, who enter the game 0-7 in Big 12 play. Both teams are desperate for positive momentum. This is a game LSU needs in order to build some positive momentum.

A four or five win conference season would be disappointing, even for those of us who came in with very modest expectations, but the reality of the situation is that McMahon did not inherit a program with a long history of success. Will Wade’s run was the best since the 1990s and the way he was fired clearly left a cloud over the program with the NCAA. McMahon knows that a roster of guys from Murray State and transfers that were sitting the bench last year won’t win games in the SEC.

It’s on him to build a better roster in the coming years, clearly, but for now we can try to stay patient and see if this team picks up a few wins in the back half as the schedule lightens up.

If not, just give more air time for the women’s team.