LSU men’s basketball played a hard-fought, back-and-forth game against Alabama on Saturday, but couldn’t hold on in the 90-83 game.
The Tigers played hard, and even though they pulled back ahead of their early deficit, they couldn’t hold on late. There were a few issues early, but LSU cleaned them up for most of the game and kept up with the Tide.
“It was a choppy game — a lot of free throws, a lot of reviews, all that stuff,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said postgame. “We didn’t want it to be a free-flowing game, quite frankly, where the score got up into the hundreds. We wanted to try to control the tempo of the game, but their ability to get to the free throw line really allowed them to have an efficient night.”
Despite getting the win, the close score didn’t ride in Alabama’s favor throughout the game. Each team took a turn leading and trailing.
There were hot and cold spots for both teams throughout the contest. Scoring was made in bursts on both sides, not shared shots back and forth. This is how the lead continued to climb for both the Tigers and the Tide during the contest.
Yet, the final burst of scoring was in favor of Alabama, bringing the lead to seven points. As the end of the game fizzled out.
The biggest issue for LSU throughout the game was textbook communication issues, which ate up the contest early for the team. On several plays, multiple Tigers would be guarding the same Alabama athlete, and if they weren’t doing that, the Tigers would be fighting each other for the ball.
However, once the first few minutes of the game passed, LSU cleaned up the errors and showed its true potential by coming back and taking the lead, and then some on occasion.
The rivalry between the Tigers and the Tide has loomed over this game for weeks, and LSU played up to its potential during the matchup. After the season LSU has had, few fans were expecting this close game.
With only four games left on the schedule for the purple and gold, it was imperative that LSU showed its potential. McMahon has been in the hot seat this season, and in an attempt to cool it, this game meant a lot to the postseason resume.
It’s going to take a deep run in the SEC tournament to get an NCAA Tournament appearance, and this game was a great showing of the Tigers’ potential, despite the final score.
The most impactful Tiger on Saturday night was fifth-year senior forward Marquel Sutton. Sutton led LSU with 21 points. He was 7-for-16 from the field. He usually leads the offense when he’s in the clear, and Saturday was crystal for the forward.
He’s playing and showing his experience, and despite transferring from a mid-major university, he’s shown his strength in a Power Four conference this season.
“I just give credit to my teammates and the coaches,” Sutton said. “They see matchups on me that they like and want me to attack it, so that’s what I do. I just played my part in my role, and just let the game come.”
As the season winds down, each game and each basket becomes more and more important. The Tigers showed their potential tonight, and while it might be too late to get started, it might not be too late for a hot streak to bring in some postseason attention.
LSU will take on Ole Miss on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Tip-off will be at 8 p.m. CT in Oxford, Mississippi.
