Did LSU make it to March Madness 2023? Exploring Tigers' run in NCAA tournament last season
While the LSU men's national basketball team is off to a solid start to their 2023-2024, the same cannot be said for the end of their previous year's campaign. Despite Angel Reese and the women's side winning the NCAA Championship on their side of the bracket, the men's team fell way short of expectations, not even making it to March Madness.
Under the tutelage of first-year head coach Matt McMahon, the team got off to a dominant start. A new coach can take time to find their groove, but he was off to the races with a 12-1 record to begin with.
However, from that moment on, their season began to fall apart. A 14-game losing streak paved the way for a dramatic collapse that saw the team win just one out of their last 18 games. Finishing the year with a 13-18 record, to go along with a 2-16 stand in SEC play, the Tigers finished in last place.
During the SEC tournament, however, they had a bit of a resurgence. As the No. 14 seed, they found themselves upsetting No. 11 Georgia in a 72-67 battle. However, that was to be the end of the journey, as the No. 6 Vanderbilt team was a challenge too tough for them, losing 77-68 and ending their season.
But, what went wrong with the team in the second half of the season?
Why was LSU unsuccessful in 2023?
The easy answer: They were perhaps meant to be. Going through a "rebuilding" phase under a new head coach, the path for LSU was always going to be a tough one. With no returning scholarship players, the transfer portal was their only hope. As a result, McMahon did not have a chance to recruit and develop players according to his choice.
Further, the tougher schedule of the SEC came about in the second half of the season. As a result, despite a solid overall record, it was within the Conference that the team fell apart.
Moreover, the team's over-reliance on KJ Williams ultimately proved to be their downfall as it led to a dearth of reliable scorers across the roster. With a far more balanced attack this time around, the script seems a little different for the program Shaquille O'Neal made famous.
Do you think they can make some noise in the NCAA tournament this time around? Let us know in the comments below.