In a meeting of two 11-3 Tiger teams, Missouri thrashed LSU in a throw-down to hand them their second loss through two games of conference play.
Here’s what we learned from Tuesday night’s catfight:
Turnovers thwart the Tigers
On Saturday, LSU had 15 turnovers in its loss to a familiar SEC foe: Vanderbilt, a program third in the nation in steals thanks to its stout defense (10.7 per game). On Tuesday, the Tigers had double-digit turnovers (14) as Missouri controlled possession throughout the entire contest.
LSU head coach Matt McMahon has wanted to play fast, transition-based basketball from the jump.
“I think we really need to take advantage of our speed, athleticism and length to play up-tempo on both sides of the basketball. I think that’s the most fun way to coach, and players enjoy playing that way,” McMahon said. “I think it really makes a huge impact when you can recruit to an NBA style of play, and I know the fans love it, so I think we have great opportunities there to build an explosive offense with our team this year.”
But the fast-paced play has been too much for the Tigers’ offense to handle. Sloppy dribbling and careless passing are the key reasons that LSU is averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. If the Tigers keep it up, the number will only continue to grow.
Before anything else, LSU has to focus on finishing their possessions with shot attempts rather than turnovers.
LSU’s frequent first-half fits
Stalled, sluggish first halves have been a common thread for the purple and gold.
The Tigers trailed at the end of the first half to Alabama State, Charleston Southern, Northwestern State, Florida State and Vanderbilt, all unranked and on their own home floor.
Like Saturday’s SEC showdown against the Commodores, LSU trailed Missouri at halftime on Tuesday, this time by double digits.
Adopting the “Cardiac Cats” moniker was acceptable throughout non-conference play, as the Tigers rallied behind their home fans to beat the Hornets, Buccaneers, Demon Deacons and Seminoles. However, the same can’t be said at this time in the season.
The Bayou Bengals can’t afford to come from behind anymore. In the country’s most competitive conference, the SEC, you need to play two complete 20-minute halves of fluid basketball to emerge victorious.
We’ll have to wait for LSU’s next appearance for McMahon’s men to prove themselves, but so far, the Tigers haven’t shown that they can come out firing in the opening period of SEC contests.
Small ball won’t work in the SEC
With the win, Missouri snapped a shameful streak. After 19 straight conference losses over nearly two years, Missouri finally got one against LSU. Their last SEC win came back in March of 2023, 669 days ago, when Missouri defeated Ole Miss at home, 82-77. They went on to lose all 18 of their SEC games in 2024.
The streak was bound to break at some point, but it’s a little unnerving that LSU had to be the one to break it.
Prior to the start of the season, McMahon assured that the team’s lack of a true center on the roster shouldn’t be any concern.
“The game has changed,” McMahon said. “I think the days of needing a 6-foot-11, 275-pound bruiser down there, the way the game is played, are gone.”
But so far, that hasn’t held true. Through the first two months of the season, LSU could out-athlete the non-conference opponents sitting on the opposing bench. However, the small ball approach doesn’t work in the SEC, the nation’s biggest and most physical conference.
The Tigers have been out-rebounded 74-56 (-18) and outscored on second-chance points 34-14 (-20) through their first two SEC showdowns.
As LSU begins to feel the whiplash of losing starting forward Jalen Reed for the season to a torn ACL, not all hope is lost. Tigers tight end Trey’Dez Green is expected to join the team within the next couple of weeks, and McMahon should look to get 7’0 forward Noah Boyle involved in his rotation sooner rather than later.
Whatever and whoever could make an impact, LSU is in dire need of support in the front court, and fast.
After two straight losses to begin conference play, it’ll only get tougher from here on out. The Tigers will look to rebound against their most formidable challenge yet as they take on their first-ranked opponent, No. 23 Ole Miss, in Oxford on Saturday evening.
