What LSU's Matt McMahon said after the 65-59 loss to No. 5 Tennessee

What LSU coach Matt McMahon said after the 65-59 loss to No. 5 Tennessee Tuesday night at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge:

Opening Statement

“I thought our guys really came out and competed extremely hard, especially on the defensive end. I thought we were able to be disruptive there, but credit to Tennessee.  Their physicality and toughness on the offensive glass overwhelmed us. Their second chance points I thought ended up being the difference in the game. Our field goal defense was certainly good enough to give us a chance. But when you’re playing against a team that will contend to go to the Final Four, you can’t give up that many second opportunities against the team of their caliber, and then I just thought there down the stretch, you saw Zeigler make some of those winning plays where he whipped us off the dribble and got to the rim and finished to seal the game.”

Being in the game late against two top-five teams but being unable to make the winning plays

“Number one, I think it was against the No. 1 and 3 defense in the country these two games. I certainly want to give them their credit. I think Tennessee, their physicality, their toughness, really disruptive. Zeigler and Mashack, I’d argue, are probably two of the five best individual defenders in the country, and so we just weren’t able to create enough good looks there. I thought the first 10 minutes of the game we were getting pretty good shots. Just didn’t make them but down the stretch, they really make it difficult on you. I did think when we got in the paint and moved the ball, better things happened for us. (Tennessee’s) Rim protection is so good. That’s how Vyctorius got his open look. Curtis got one late there, but probably some over dribbling and against a Mashack or Zeigler, that’s just not a good decision. Like a lockdown cornerback in the NFL, you’re not going to beat them, and if you do, it’s very rare. So the ball’s got to move, and we were unable to make enough threes. So for us to win this game, or to win Saturday’s game, needed to shoot the ball well from three and cut the second chance points down and we were unable to do it.’

The growth of LSU freshmen Vyctorius Miller and Curtis Givens

“I think all three have made great strides. Rob Miller. I thought was fantastic again tonight. Unfortunately getting some foul trouble, I would love to have him out there more, but nine rebounds. He’s got 19 rebounds the last two games. We got to get him some help on the class. Three assists, just one turnover. Thought he had a great pass to Vyctorius out of the post. He’s really gotten better in our ball screen game as a roller there in the middle of the floor, and he blocked two shots. He provides great rim protection there as well. (Vyctorius) took higher quality shots tonight. In his first three starts, (he) took some really difficult shots. Therefore efficiency wasn’t very good. But tonight he got higher quality looks and stepped up and knocked those down at a high, high level. And then Curtis, I think you’ve seen he didn’t show up tonight. The assist to turnover rate, I believe he was 13 to two in our recent games, just doing a good job getting the ball where it needed to go.”

Going on a run to finish the game, not going away

“I mean, our guys are playing hard. They’re playing hard. We’ve gotten better for the last three weeks. Obviously, the last two games it hasn’t shown up in the win-loss column, as we would like, but I think from an effort standpoint, it’s good. I think we’re very disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. Obviously, very concerned about Lanier and his movement without the ball coming in. Think they scored 38 points against our defense. Almost half their points came out of second chance opportunities, and so we got to figure out a way to improve that and give ourselves a better chance.”

LSU fifth-year guard Jordan Sears only scoring two points against Tennessee

“I thought his floor game was better tonight, but didn’t pay it off with the threes. He’s a great catch and shoot three-point shooter. We’ve been trying to get him some more of those looks. Just haven’t been able to knock those down. So the only way I know to do is keep working. Get in the gym early, stay late at night. Keep shooting the ball and try and get higher, quality looks and shoot them with confidence.

“Tennessee and Florida both do a great job, not only with the rim protection, but then they contest the three at a high level, and I think that certainly has bothered us some in the last two games. Wins last week, I think we were 24-of-58 from behind the arc, 41%. These two games with Florida and Tennessee, I believe we’re at 16-of-58, so that’s a difference of 24 points there, and part of that obviously, is the caliber of those two defenses and their ability to defend the three.”

How LSU’s players are handling the day-to-day in the midst of a losing season

“They’re certainly disappointed with the results the last two games, but I think to the player’s credit, not discouraged to come to the gym to practice and prepare, and try to get better, and try to find ways to win. For the most part, I think guys have come in and prepared for the next opportunity. And not always easy. Certainly there’s disappointment there, but it’s the only way I know to do it. You come in and you get back to work. Tomorrow’s an off day for us. Expect our players to come in Thursday morning ready to prepare for Mississippi State, keep fighting and clawing to get our team better as we go into the final couple of weeks of the season.”

What he wants to see from LSU over the last couple of weeks to end the season

“I think the foundation always has to be the same. Relentless effort on every position. I think you got to be a great teammate, make the person next to you better, and then you got to have a competitive spirit and toughness to you, and when that’s your foundation, now you can focus in on the areas we’ve got to get better.

“Turnovers have been a major issue for us this year. We’ve been able to get those cut down. There’s been improvement there. Lack of three-point shooting has been an issue for us. We’ve been able to make some progress and get better there with better spacing on the floor, better execution. Now, the defensive rebounding, we’ve got to figure out a way. You can’t play 30 minutes in a game and just get one defensive rebound. 

“I mean, look at Lanier. Lanier is the best shooter in America. Made 94 threes. He had nine defensive rebounds tonight. Nine defensive rebounds at the two-guard position. And so it’s not just our big guy’s job to rebound. It’s everybody on the floor. Usually your guards have a free run to the glass. Other team’s guards are getting back to set their transition defense. So that’s an area obviously, we will continue to spend a lot of time on to get better.”