After last place finish, McMahon addresses uncertain future at LSU

Matt McMahon’s team lost another heartbreaker on Saturday night, this time in a brutal triple overtime loss to Texas A&M. Just hours before, South Carolina hit a game winner at the buzzer to beat Ole Miss. The combination of results dropped the Tigers down to last place in the SEC at 3-15 on the season.

The future for McMahon and his staff remains in question, but it seems unlikely LSU announces anything before the SEC Tournament which begins on Wednesday afternoon. Still, LSUs new athletic director has a decision to make and Matt McMahon understands the uncertainty around the program.

“Thanks for the question. I am 47 and this is my 30th season in college basketball. I have been incredibly blessed and feel nothing but gratitude and appreciation for this opportunity,” McMahon said. “With 30 years of experience, I also understand the expectations that come with the job. I share in the disappointment and frustration that we have not gotten the results we wanted over the last two months. That is my responsibility. With that said, I absolutely love LSU. I love our core group that returns next year. I think we have a creative administration and leadership team here at LSU. I have all respect for whatever decisions they make moving forward. But I’d love the opportunity. For me, it is critical that we keep our focus on preparing our players and our team for the opportunity next week in Nashville at the SEC Tournament.”

No. 16 LSU faces No. 9 Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday in the first game of the five-day event in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is at 11:30 a.m. CT, which could end the Tigers’ season quickly. McMahon talked about cleaning the slate entering the tournament, but even though his team was one second away from beating Kentucky last time they played, it’s hard to envision LSU going on a run this week.

“As you can imagine, there was great disappointment in the locker room,” McMahon said. ” I really admired the everyday work that our players have put in through some of the adversity they have encountered this season. What I shared with them is that we had six seniors today playing their last game in the PMAC. We had families that came from halfway around the world and all over the country to be here to celebrate that day with them. As disappointed as I know they are in the loss, I want to make sure they enjoy this time with their family tonight. Then tomorrow they need to rest up and get ready to come to work on Monday. These guys have been resilient. They have done it every time. I expect Monday will be nothing different. We will come in and get to work Monday morning. We will be locked in to compete on Wednesday.”

As we’ve written about at length, LSU’s decision at the moment is far more about the financial ramifications than it is about anything else. McMahon still has three years left on his contract and a hefty buy out that Ausberry is having to weigh. With fan apathy is at an all time high, can Ausberry afford to not make a change? We’ll gain clarity in the coming week as the Tigers’ season comes to an end.