The LSU women’s basketball team is spending its spring break practicing in advance of the release of the NCAA tournament bracket Sunday night.
The Tigers lost for the 19th straight time to South Carolina last Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. So, LSU must be satisfied with being a No. 2 seed – its highest since Kim Mulkey became coach four seasons ago.
So, the basketball spotlight shines solely on coach Matt McMahon’s program. The Tigers, who finished in last place in the SEC with three victories, will take on Kentucky in a first-round game of the league tournament Wednesday afternoon in Nashville.
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What I’m Hearing: The LSU–Will Wade Situation Is No Longer ‘Impossible
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No one could possibly believe LSU extends its season past this weekend by winning five consecutive games in Bridgestone Arena. In fact, it would be a major surprise if the Tigers are not back in Baton Rouge by sunset Wednesday.
The question surrounding the Tigers men’s basketball program involves McMahon.
Does McMahon get another season as LSU head coach?
Under McMahon, the Tigers will miss the NCAA tournament for four consecutive seasons – barring a miracle 5-0 run in Music City. No LSU coach this century had such a stretch – not John Brady, not Trent Johnson, nor Johnny Jones, not Will Wade.
The last Tigers coach to not make an appearance in the Big Dance four straight years was Dale Brown from 1994-97 – his final four seasons before retiring.
Yes, McMahon took over a program which was on life support following the firing of Wade. However, turnarounds can be very quick in today’s college basketball environment.
Just look at Vanderbilt.
Mark Byington took over the Commodores as coach following the 2023-24 campaign. Byington brought in an entirely new roster. All Vanderbilt has done is reach the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons.
Current Director of Athletics Verge Ausberry has mentioned recently LSU’s financial problems. The firing of former football coach Brian Kelly and the hiring of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin are costing the department many millions of dollars.
Moreover, funds must be found for Kiffin to build a roster through revenue sharing and NIL. Reportedly, the players on the Tigers 2026 roster are costing $40 million.
Many people feel that the university needs to be financially responsible when discussing McMahon’s future. Let’s save a few million dollars and give McMahon another year as coach.
Making such a decision sends out a bad message.
LSU officials would be giving up on being competitive on a national level in men’s basketball. The current coach has proven he cannot take the Tigers to the NCAA tournament.
However, the university is not willing to spend some extra millions to put a good product on the court. If such a scenario occurs, the university needs to reduce the cost of tickets for the fan base.
Why should an individual pay higher prices for a program whose goal is not reaching the NCAA tournament on a yearly basis?
In addition, it would be very difficult to convince highly-ranked recruits – high school players or transfers – to come to a school which is not attempting to do its best with the program.
Let’s not bring up now the matter of bringing back Wade as head coach. The university administrators must determine if Wade would be their best hire. Of course, Wade must have the desire to be the coach at LSU rather than North Carolina State.
The hiring of a new coach is secondary at this instant. LSU officials must show that they are not throwing in the towel on men’s basketball.
Remember there is a new arena supposedly going up in a few years. LSU must make a commitment to men’s basketball. That commitment begins with the firing of McMahon.
