Matt McMahon pressed on LSU's NCAA Tournament hopes amid struggles

The Matt McMahon era at LSU has been a complete disappointment so far. Following LSU‘s 14-point home loss to Mississippi State Wednesday night, the Tigers fell to 13-8 (1-7) on the season. Midway through four seasons of the McMahon era, LSU is just 57-61 (15-47) with no NCAA Tournament appearances.

In an interview with the Baton Rouge Advocate on Jan. 14, LSU AD Verge Ausberry put McMahon on the hot seat when discussing expectations. An NCAA Tournament was the expectation for the Tigers, who have lost four of their last five games since Ausberry’s statement.

“We’ve already had some discussions about what the expectations are,” Ausberry said. “One thing we want to do is make sure we’re in the NCAA Tournament. We made that very clear to Matt at the beginning of the year – that’s where we need to be.”

Matt McMahon discusses NCAA Tournament hopes; wants focus to remain on short-term

Fresh off the 80-66 defeat at the hands of Chris Jans‘ Mississippi State Bulldogs, McMahon was asked about LSU‘s NCAA Tournament hopes amid its brutal stretch of losing seven of its last eight.

“I think the focus for us has to be short-term, like how do we fix our start here tonight? How do we show improvement on the defensive side of the ball from the three-point line, and ultimately you need to be able to score. We scored 81 tonight and credit Mississippi State‘s defense, we scored 21 points in the first half. We’ve got to get back and focus on getting our team better.

“I think when you get in these tough stretches, the only way forward is to stick together. It’s easy to separate and start blaming and make excuses and complaining in the locker room. You need to keep everyone tight and connected, and find ways to get better and focus on the next opportunity. That will be Saturday in Columbia.”

LSU will collide with yet another program struggling this season, South Carolina, on Saturday. With eight losses and 1-5 record against Quad 1 opponents, an NCAA Tournament berth looks highly unlikely for the Tigers. That is, unless, McMahon’s team can get hot and rattle off some resume-building wins against teams such as No. 15 Arkansas, Tennessee, and No. 23 Alabama over the coming weeks.

If LSU misses the Tournament once again, it will mark its first five-year absence from ‘The Big Dance’ since 2010-2014. Matt McMahon‘s job security, as Ausberry pointed at, will also be in critical danger.