For the second time in head coach Matt McMahon’s four seasons at LSU, men’s basketball finished dead last in the SEC.
His teams have gone a combined 60-70, with a 17-55 SEC mark, and have never been ranked. LSU has won just three conference games in each of the last two years.
But there is still a chance that he stays as head coach for the next season. Why is it even a discussion? Let’s see why he would remain as head coach despite the poor results.
To start, money can not just be thrown by the wayside in the discussion. McMahon’s buyout is $8 million, not even mentioning the cost it would take to hire a new coach and field a roster.
The Tigers reportedly spent about $8 million on the roster this year, a large increase from the previous year. That is LSU’s way of backing McMahon.
E.J. Kuiper, the president and CEO of FMOL Health, is a major donor for LSU and one of six who was on the committee to hire a new head football coach in the fall. He voiced his support for McMahon after the team’s win against Ole Miss.
“LSU MBB beats Ole Miss in Oxford!! Matt McMahon is a good coach. Took over a program that was in shambles and had to deal with key injuries all season long. He deserves another chance,” Kuiper said in an Instagram story.
Another problem that has consistently plagued men’s basketball during McMahon’s tenure is injuries. They have drastically derailed LSU’s last two years.
Forward Jalen Reed missed almost all of the 2024-25 season and once again only played a handful of games in this season before being injured. Star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. also missed almost all of SEC play in this season with a foot injury.
But Kuiper isn’t the only person supporting McMahon; the players on his team have voiced support as well.
“I can’t thank this man next to me [enough],” shooting guard Max Mackinnon said after the SEC tournament. “Everyone’s got an opinion, but we lost our two best players at the start of the year. We fought and [McMahon] never changed. Every day, he made me a better player.”
It is true that the team’s fight and determination never faltered no matter the record. The trust between McMahon and his players this year was never visibly shaken. Even after the Kentucky loss, McMahon praised their fight, saying that “lesser men would’ve folded up shop.”
From 0-0 to 12-1 to 15-17, LSU fought and played the same every game, continuing to keep its heads up no matter how hard the loss was. It’s hard to argue that a team that wasn’t in support of its coach would play that way.
Other coaches see it too.
“If [Thomas] didn’t get hurt before conference play or going into conference play, they were a top 25 team,” Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan said. “I think they could be right there with anybody in the league. I felt really bad for LSU because of that.”
Alabama head coach Nate Oats pointed it out after beating LSU by seven.
“First off, [I] wanted to say I got a lot of respect for LSU players and staff,” Oats said. “For them to play as hard as they’re currently playing, and keep fighting … You got to give them a lot of credit, because they could easily not do what they did tonight based on some of the tough [losses].”
Every time an opposing coach came in for their post game press conference after beating LSU, it sounded like they were surprised with the team yet sympathetic for the adversity the Tigers have faced. That could buy McMahon some favor with the administration.
Also, if McMahon gets fired, who do you go get to replace him? The right-in-your-face obvious option is NC State head coach Will Wade. He coached LSU for five years, leading the team to three NCAA tournaments including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2019.
The issue is that Wade is in his first season coaching and gave a statement Thursday about the rumors of him returning to LSU.
“Let me be very clear, I’m excited at NC State,” Wade said. “I was hired at NC State to do a job. This wasn’t gonna take one year. I’ve already met with our administration about next year and some of the changes that we need to make … to put this program where it deserves long-term.”
There aren’t really any big-name targets to grab that don’t run the risk of also winning only 17 SEC games in four years.
This offseason might not be the best time to fire McMahon unless you can pry Wade from his chair atop the NC State men’s basketball team.
