After the first few games of the season, there was an argument to be made that Marquel Sutton was the best player on LSU’s refreshed men’s basketball team.
The 2025 Summit League Player of the Year transferred from Omaha and has started all games for LSU at forward, primarily on the wing at small forward. He originally played power forward until Jalen Reed went down with injury.
“Every spot I’ve been at, [I have] always been just a ‘go get it’ kind of player,” Sutton said after the victory against UNO two months ago. “Whatever I need to do for the team to win, that’s what I’m gonna do. If I need to rebound, if I need to defend, knock down shots, I feel like that’s just who I am.”
His versatility has helped the team when injuries and foul trouble challenge depth, but as SEC play has gotten underway, Sutton began looking uncomfortable and hasn’t played like his early-season self on offense.
“One thing that’s been a little bit of a challenge for Marquel is [that] he’s been strictly focused on the wing position for the last five months,” head coach Matt McMahon said. “With the injuries, he’s needed to play at the four position as well. There’s a lot on his plate right now.”
He left the non-conference slate on the wrong foot with his worst shooting performance of the year against Southern Miss at home. He shot 3-for-10 from the field, with all makes being within about 12 feet. He missed all five 3-pointer attempts, three of them coming from the same spot on the right corner.
He helped make up for it by grabbing 11 rebounds.
Sutton has been an elite rebounding talent all year, averaging 8.8 a game. It has paired with his previously strong scoring to earn him six double-doubles on the year.
While his rebounds average is high, it has dropped by almost one after the first three SEC games. Against Texas A&M and South Carolina, he only recorded five rebounds each game. He had six at Vanderbilt.
In the loss to Texas A&M, the only three points he scored were off free throws. He missed two shots in the paint and two corner 3-pointers.
“The press [from A&M] was probably the first time as a wing that he’s faced that type of pressure,” McMahon said. “It kind of eliminated his strengths on the offensive side.”
He went 1-for-5 from the field in the next game against South Carolina, but his lone basket was a sledgehammer of a dunk. He scored six total points.
His Vanderbilt performance shows that a statistical comeback could be on the way. Sutton was noticeably active and energized on the court, helping control the floor when called on.
His shooting bounced back against the Commodores as he went 5-for-11 from the field and made his first 3-pointer since Dec. 19 against Southeastern Louisiana.
“It was really good to see him get going at Vanderbilt,” McMahon said. “We’re counting on his production.”
A consequence of his more physical play was that he turned the ball over three times and had four fouls, both season highs. Both are scratches that can be buffed out with time.
Sutton finally looked comfortable in his position on the floor in Saturday’s loss in Nashville, despite some bumps and bruises on parts of his stat sheet.
“I thought you saw him really settle into [the four] in the second half on Saturday [at Vanderbilt],” McMahon said. “I expect him to take great confidence from that going into Wednesday night [against Kentucky].”
While Sutton continues to grow in his role as an SEC basketball player, let’s revisit why he became such an asset for LSU in the first place.
Sutton has set precedents for his ability to lead LSU in certain statistical departments. His most recent double-double came against Prairie View A&M three weeks ago, when he dropped 21 points and picked up 13 boards. He made 13-of-14 free throw attempts in that game.
Free throws have been a constant positive of Sutton’s game, despite his recent skid. He’s shot 85% from the free throw line on the season and has only one instance of missing more than one in a game.
His singles are helping but his triples are how he made a name for himself at LSU. In the first three games, he went a combined 9-for-19 from beyond the arc, which included a career high four made 3-pointers against New Orleans. He posted an impressive +45 point differential in that win to go along with his 15 rebounds.
His shooting chart shows that a large majority of his deep misses come from the corner. He’s able to get open but recently he has failed to make those shots fall.
However, none of his four 3-pointers against New Orleans came from the corners. Those four makes were the only field goals he made in that game, but it shouldn’t discredit his abilities within the arc.
He had an inverse statline in the team’s sole Quad 1 win against SMU a month ago, shooting 8-for-15 from the field but only sinking 1-of-4 from downtown. He scored a season-high 23 points in that game to go with 12 rebounds.
The talent is there for Sutton and he was clearly more in sync with the game at Vanderbilt. He just needs to piece together his hard play with his previously showcased strong shooting and rebounding, and he will dramatically help LSU in their tournament chase.
