Good teams can take a punch in the mouth and get back up.

Lately, LSU men’s basketball hasn’t done that.

In an earlier loss to Syracuse, the Tigers competed closely throughout the first half and were behind by five at the break. The Orange came out with eight straight points to open the second frame, and LSU never responded, losing by 23.

In a moral victory of sorts, LSU did a much better job of responding against Kansas State in Saturday’s 75-60 loss. That will, of course, be little consolation for head coach Matt McMahon and the Tigers.

Kansas State built a 56-39 lead early in the second half with LSU playing disjointedly on both ends. From there, the Tigers slowly chipped away.

It started with the defense settling down and getting stops, though it was aided by Kansas State going cold, missing open shots it was making earlier in the game.

The Tigers started to get into the paint on offense, making tough shots and getting to the free throw line.

LSU finally drew within three after a few incredible fast break buckets to cap off a 16-2 run. Jordan Wright first splashed a corner 3-pointer off a Mike Williams drive and dish, and another play where the ball zipped around before finding Derek Fountain for a dunk sent the Pete Maravich Assembly Center into a frenzy.

Suddenly, the well went dry. LSU didn’t score another point for almost seven full minutes, and would make just two more shots in the game after that Fountain dunk.

LSU made it all the way to the precipice of the comeback before Kansas State shut the door. It was a resilient showing for the Tigers, but close wasn’t enough.

Kansas State isn’t the same team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight last year, having lost its two All-Americans, Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, to the NBA.

However, it’s still a formidable team led by capable second-year head coach Jerome Tang, and it tightened up when it mattered most.

Though it slowed down in the second half, the Wildcats’ five-out offense gave LSU fits in the early game.

Kansas State’s scheme spread out LSU’s defense, which opened up wide driving and cutting lanes into the paint. The Tigers had to respect the Wildcat’s elite 3-point shot making, as they hit several times from several steps behind the 3-point line.

With LSU forced to account for that, it was easy for Kansas State to attack the paint.

LSU’s defense has been incredibly active at times this season, with the Tigers doing a good job at using their hands in the passing lanes or to poke the ball out on drives. LSU entered the game ranked No. 19 in the country in steals per game with 9.8 and came up with another 10 in Saturday’s game.

Despite that, LSU has really struggled with perimeter containment and sticking with guards on their drives, and the space created by Kansas State’s five-out scheme only exacerbated that problem.

That led to easy offense for Kansas State’s Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma, who had 21 and 17 points, respectively.

The problem spread also to pick-and-roll coverage, where Kansas State’s ballhandler easily got in front of the Tigers’ perimeter defender on a number of plays, putting the defending big man in conflict. That frequently led to either an easy finish at the rim or a simple dump-off to the roller.

The Tigers kept close with Kansas State in the early going thanks to uncharacteristically hot 3-point shooting, with four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes.

They couldn’t keep it up, and the offense turned sloppy as the Wildcats pulled out to an 11-point lead, cut slightly to eight at the half and then expanded to 17 points.

Aside from the second-half spurt, LSU’s offense never truly gained its footing. After making four of its first five 3-point attempts, the Tigers made just two of their final 15. LSU also turned the ball over 15 times.

No one for LSU was consistently aggressive and sought to establish themselves on offense, though Wright had one of his more efficient games with a team-high 19 points.

LSU’s offensive issues, with plenty of missed shots and live-ball turnovers, made for easy offense for Kansas State. The Wildcats were able to run out with rebounds or loose balls against a Tiger defense that wasn’t set on many occasions.

The Tigers once again fell short against a tough opponent, and even the effort they showed in that comeback attempt won’t heal the wounds of another disappointing loss. LSU has shown flashes of competence on both ends, but it’s been hard to sustain.

LSU will host Alabama State for a tune up game on Wednesday before traveling for another difficult matchup against No. 12 Texas in Houston next Saturday.