LSU men’s basketball turned over a new leaf in the first game of the season with an astounding offensive performance, topping Tarleton State 96-60.
The Tigers made a great showing in their season opener despite a rocky first half. Head coach Matt McMahon said the guys played together well despite the starters coming from the transfer portal, and while there are things to work on, it was a solid first appearance.
“I think you saw the unselfishness on the offensive end of the floor, the efficiency there and then defensively,” McMahon said postgame. “I thought we were really active. Was disappointed in the nine offensive rebounds we gave up in the first nine minutes of the game, but we got that cleaned up and were able to build our lead and get a good win here on opening night.”
The offense was on the rise for the purple and gold, and scoring was led by Max Mackinnon, who was 9-for-10.
Mackinnon was a standout, but the man of the hour played on the opposite side of the ball. Freshman guard DJ Thomas was expected to be a star player on the offense, but his turnovers were crucial, with five defensive rebounds on the night.
The defense took a minute to gel together, allowing TSU to score first and stay relevant throughout the game. McMahon showed frustration with his players throughout the game for fundamental issues.
At open practice in October, McMahon was displeased because the players wouldn’t guard efficiently, and it appeared to be the same case during the opener.
Communication was another issue for LSU throughout the game, and it showed on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Tigers were unable to find passing opportunities, and defensively, it left Texans wide open in critical moments.
Despite the early struggles, the Bayou Bengals pulled it together in the latter part of the first half and finished the game strong. Thomas said he felt like there were areas to improve, but the second half held better than the first.
“We’ve just got to work on finishing and playing defensive rebounds, not allowing so many offensive rebounds,” Thomas said. “I mean, I feel like we did a lot better job the second half with that, but I feel like we really did a good job.”
Entering the second half, LSU was leading 47-31. In the first half alone, Mackinnon scored 13 points in eight attempts.
The gelling began, but the Tigers still have a long way to go. The season is long, and the quicker this team comes together, the smoother the road to March will be.
Right now, it’s little issues that can be easy to brush off if wins keep coming, but as the season goes on, it’s bound to bite LSU in the long run. If McMahon and staff continue to push the things they’ve noticed in preseason, it shouldn’t be an issue to clean up before conference play gets here, and he said that was a big part of building this roster.
“We tried to be very intentional about how we identified and who we targeted in the portal this past spring,” McMahon said. “Just trying to be very intentional in our time outside of basketball, and these guys have done a tremendous job there, obviously just Game 1, and long way to go, but it’s been a real joy to coach this group.”
McMahon appears to have significant trust in his guys’ production, as the gelling will come naturally as they play together more.
In an effort to create a win streak, the Tigers take on UNO on Monday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. Time will tell how well this lineup withstands a long season ahead.
