As it hit halftime at the PMAC on Sunday afternoon, Alabama State led LSU 32-26.
The crowd was nearly silent, almost sick to their stomach with a severe case of deja vu. Tiger fans have seen this before.
The purple and gold found themselves down 24 to Nicholls State in their third game of the 2023 season. While they clawed back to lead by one, Colonels guard Jalen White hit a game-winning three with 0.8 seconds left to beat the Bayou Bengals 68-66.
It was an embarrassing loss, one that hung over LSU for the rest of the 2023 campaign. A nagging thought remained in the back of every Tiger fan, player and coach’s head: How did LSU lose to Nicholls State?
Coming out swinging and setting the tempo was vital against Alabama State. Unfortunately for the purple and gold, it looked as if they didn’t get the memo.
The Bayou Bengals were sleepwalking on offense throughout the first half, shooting 8 of 25 (32%) from the field and 7 of 14 (50%) from the charity stripe while failing to find a true No. 1 scoring option.
The Hornets continuously knocked down tough shots through the Tigers’ tight defense, with their guards driving to the basket for easy paint points to give themselves a shocking 32-26 halftime lead.
In the locker room, the Bayou Bengals looked for answers.
“The biggest thing was just trying to keep our heads, stay sane and just to guide our identity on the defensive side,” LSU forward Dji Bailey said.
But Alabama State had yet even to grab its largest lead.
The Hornets took a 48-38 lead with 12:38 left in the second half. LSU was in dangerous but not uncharted territory: Nicholls State territory.
But instead of lingering on last year’s loss, McMahon opted to move forward.
“This is a different team,” McMahon said. “It’s a different era.”
It’s true; there are only four returning players on this year’s roster from last year. The roster turnover was high, for the better. Everybody is new. This is a different team. The Tigers don’t lose these types of games. It’s a different era.
Two of those new players are Jordan Sears and Cam Carter. They have no memory of any stunning losses to the lesser Colonels in 2023, which worked to their advantage.
Sears took control of the offense late in the second half, driving to the bucket to get what he wanted. 
“I know he’s a fifth-year senior, but I thought the changing defenses from Alabama State slowed him down in the first half, and I thought he was a lot more aggressive,” said McMahon.
Once Sears’ dribble and drive game started to roll, so did Carter’s shot. He finished the night 4 of 5 (80%) from three, leading LSU in scoring (21).
Compared to their abysmal first half, the Tigers picked it up in the second by shooting 13 of 22 (59.1%) from the field and 18 of 20 (90%) from the free-throw line.
The late scoring surge powered the purple and gold to a 74-61 win over the Hornets to get to 2-0, something they failed to accomplish in 2023.
LSU will look to make it a 3-0 start when they travel to play Kansas State at the Bramlage Coliseum on Thursday night.