Da Boot Sports
2/22/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - The Tigers returned to action on Wednesday night hoping to snap their 14 game losing streak against a red hot Vanderbilt team in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center/Dale Brown Court and that they did, shocking the Commodores with an 84-77 victory in front of 8,827 excited Tiger fans. 

   Lead by KJ Williams who finished with 35 points, the Tigers were able to put together a solid performance on both ends of the court as they controlled the final 11 minutes of the contest.

   Vandy made a push late but the Tigers made plays when needed and sank their free throws to seal the win. 

   “Great win for our team tonight. Really proud of our players. I loved the process we went through these last 48 hours; I thought the preparation was really good." Matt McMahon said. "I thought our guys played with great energy. I thought we had a really good shoot around that carried over into tonight. Really felt like we had a team out there tonight and it was a lot of fun to watch. The guys were really locked in to do the things we needed to do to have success. Obviously, KJ (Williams), his performance was off the charts, 35 and 10. I thought Adam Miller getting to the free-throw line 10 times was huge. 18 points there. Then I just think there were some other stats that have really been missing for us of late. You know, Trae Hannibal didn’t take a shot tonight, but he had the highest plus/minus in the game of any player. Juice Hill, four-to-one assist to turnover ratio, had the second-highest plus/minus in the game tonight. We have been challenging our players, this is where you find out what you are made of. It’s been a difficult stretch. Happy for our guys to come in here and play well and find a way to win tonight.”

   Vandy started the contest hot from behind the arc, hitting their first three shots from three point range to grab a 9-2 lead at the 16:31 mark, before LSU responded with a 9-2 run of their own to tie the game at 11-11.

   The Tigers then found another gear as they took their first lead, 19-18 with 9:47 left in the first half on a Jalen Reed layup. 

   The Bayou Bengals extended their lead going on a 12-0 run to go up, 28-18 with 6:48 left on the clock. 

   The teams would go to the locker rooms at the break with LSU holding a 39-32 lead as the Tigers
put together probably their best half of play since the Kentucky game. 

   KJ Williams led the Tigers at the break with 12 first half points, while Tyrell Ward scored 8 and Adam Miller added 7 points.

   The key stats of the first half was LSU shooting 6-13 from three point land for 46% and the
Tigers outrebounding the Commodores, 27-19. 

   Vanderbilt scored the first six points of the second half to cut LSU's lead to one, 39-38 as the game remained tight over the next eight minutes.

   With the score even at 50-50 at the 11:57 mark, the Tigers went on a 20-10 run over the next six minutes to take control of the game as they held a 70-60 lead. 

   With the win, LSU is now 13-15 overall and 2-13 in SEC play.

   Next up the Tigers will travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30pm CT. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network. 

Photo Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photo Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!

​Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness

Da Boot Sports
2/19/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   BATON ROUGE – South Carolina opened Saturday’s basketball game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center by making its first five three-point attempts and LSU was never really able to recover, falling 82-73, to the Gamecocks.
 
Carolina made 8-of-16 distance shots in the first half and 15-of-32 for the game and seemed to get keep shots when LSU was trying to rally in the second half.
 
It was South Carolina’s third league win and all have been on the road this season. LSU falls to 12-15 and 1-13 in the league.
 
The loss wiped out a strong performance by LSU’s Cam Hayes, who equaled his career high with 25 points. His overall line was extremely strong in 34 minutes, hitting 8-of-15 shots, including 4-of-8 at the three-point line with five free throws, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
 
KJ Williams added 14 points and Derek Fountain had 13.
 
LSU only turned the ball over six times, a season low, after 19 turnovers on Tuesday at Georgia, but shot 26-of-62 (41.9%) for the game with seven treys and just 14-of-26 from the free throw line. South Carolina finished at 46.3 percent (25-of-54) with the 15 treys and equally hurtful, 17-of-18 at the charity stripe.
 
Both Gregory “GG” Jackson II and Meechie Johnson had 20 points apiece for Carolina with Johnson hitting five treys and Jackson four. Jacobi Wright had five treys in scoring 18 points and Hayden Brown had 16.
 
The teams had 36 rebounds each and LSU had a 16-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, but only a 23-16 plus margin in second chance points.
 
With the five opening threes, South Carolina jumped out to a 15-5 advantage 4:30 into the contest. LSU twice cut it to one point at 22-21 and 25-24 and 32-31 in the first half and went to the dressing room, down, 36-31.
 
The Gamecocks came out and hit two treys early in the half to build the lead back to nine, and LSU was never really able to get the margin to within striking distance the rest of the way.
 
LSU returns to the Maravich Center on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. against Vanderbilt. Tickets are available at LSUTix.net.
 
 
LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement…
“Not a whole lot to say. Obviously, it was a very disappointing afternoon. Give credit to South Carolina, they had great energy and shot the ball incredibly well from the three-point line and that was ultimately the difference in the game. You look at a lot of the other statistical categories that were fairly favorable to us, but we were minus 24 points from behind the three-point line and thought they had the energy and played with the urgency that was necessary to win this game, so give them great credit.”
 
On the first half...
“I think it is just, again from a coaching standpoint, it is your responsibility whether you are making shots or what have you, you have got to get your transition defense set. Have to close out and run guys off the three-point line. We thought the two biggest keys for us from a defensive standpoint would be defending the three, where you look at guys like (Jacobi) Wright and Meechie Johnson who have been shooting it at a really good clip here lately, you know how capable GG (Gregory) Jackson II is there. Then also the defensive rebounds, I think in their last five games, (Josh) Gray, (Hayden) Brown and Jackson were around nine to 10 offensive rebounds a game. Clearly, we didn’t get the job done. I thought we allowed some missed opportunities to finish at the basket to turn into open threes for them in transition and they made us pay. They started five-for-five, they went three-for their next-16, which enabled us to get back into the game there in the first half. Unfortunately, we were not able to convert at the free-throw lines or some layups there. We come in down five and then second half, right back, seven-of-16 from three, just hard to win games when teams shoot it that well from behind the arc. It’s our responsibility to make them miss is the bottom line.
 
On the play of Cam Hayes…
“When you play hard and you are locked in and focused, it really carries over to every area of the game. You’ll look and see he had 25 points on just 15 shots, so that’s really efficient, four-of-eight from three. He also had eight defensive rebounds, he also had four assists and three steals. I thought he was really locked in and impacted the game at both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, we were not able to do enough in other areas to give ourselves a chance to win.”
 
South Carolina Head Coach Lamont Paris
Opening Statement
“What a great win for our guys. It’s probably the best game they’ve (South Carolina) played with everything involved, from shooting performance to how we generated shots. I’m really happy with our performance.”
 
On cleaning up the team’s performance in the second half…
“The first half, we missed a lot of stuff around the basket. ‘GG’ (Gregory Jackson II) had a layup in transition that he missed, Josh (Gray) got blocked on a dunk and Hayden (Brown) got down and around the basket two times and didn’t get anything out of it. There were opportunities there and we also gave up 15 second-chance points in the first half. We did a better job in the second half of sewing that stuff up.”
 
On if he believes that hitting early shots has a positive effect on the team…
“There’s no doubt. As long as I’ve done it, that’s how it goes. You get off to a good start and the guys feel good. The rim looks bigger, everyone’s talked about that. If you look at Jacobi (Wright) today, he goes bang-bang-bang with three three pointers in succession and he felt good. Then, he didn’t get a shot for a while and he takes one in the second half and he barely drew iron. It’s not even just you. I think that if you see your teammates making a bunch of shots and often times that inspires you and you know that the lids not on the rim anymore, so you can shoot the ball as well.”
 

Da Boot Sports
​2/15/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   ATHENS, GA - LSU went into Stegeman Coliseum in Athens on Tuesday night hoping to come away with a victory to snap their 11 game skid, but the Bulldogs made the plays late in the game to defeat the Bayou Bengals, 65-63.

   Down by six with 3:43 left in the contest, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to grab a 63-62 lead on a KJ Williams jumper with 11 seconds left. 

   Georgia's Justin Hill scored on a quick layup giving the Bulldogs the lead with seven seconds remaining on the clock. Hill was then fouled with one second remaining after stealing LSU's inbound pass at half court. He sank one of both of his free throws to clinch the 65-63 win. 

   “Disappointed. It’s my fault. I wish I could have done a better job for them down the stretch,” said LSU Coach Matt McMahon. “I thought we really executed; KJ (Williams) made a great play to finish there. You know, hindsight is always 20/20, call a timeout in that situation and use the last timeout, but you’ll see in the clip we just didn’t have great discipline in the gaps on that last drive. KJ made a great play to come over and wall up, but they were able to finish. Proud of our guys’ fight. I thought we really competed at a much higher level than we did on Saturday and gave ourselves a chance. The 19 turnovers, and in the second half, Georgia was 12-for-15 from two-point range. I thought that was really the difference.”

    A three pointer by Tyrell Ward gave the Tigers a 12-11 lead at the 11:07 mark in the first half. 

   LSU then took control of the game, but was held scoreless over the final 4:35 of the half allowing Georgia to cut a seven point lead to two, as the Tigers held on to a 28-26 lead at the break. 

   The Tigers continued to cling to their lead early in the second half until the Bulldogs tied the game, 35-35 at the 14:27 mark before taking the lead, 39-35, during an 8-0 run. 

   The game turned into a back and forth contest over the next six minutes with three ties and five lead changes.

   With the game even at 46-46, Jabri Abdur-Rahim hit a three pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead with 8:46 left, a lead that Georgia would hang onto until 11 seconds left. 

   The Tigers refused to quit with Georgia leading by eight, 57-49 with 6:09 left on the clock, going on a 14-5 run culminating with KJ Williams' jumper to give LSU the lead with 11 seconds remaining. 

   KJ Williams led the Tigers with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Jalen Reed finished with 9 points, Derek Fountain added 8, Adam Miller and Justice Hill each scored 6. 

   Next up, LSU, now 12-14 overall/1-12 in the SEC, will host South Carolina in the PMAC on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 12:00pm CST.
​ 

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!

​Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness

Da Boot Sports
2/12/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   ​BATON ROUGE – The LSU basketball team was unable to get anything going in the first 20 minutes, dropping a 74-62 decision to Texas A&M Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
 
LSU falls below .500 for the first time in the season at 12-13 and drops to 1-11 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M, with its second win over LSU, runs its record to 10-2 in the league in second place and 18-7 overall.
 
Sophomore Adam Miller (18) and freshman Tyrell Ward (15) combined for 33 of LSU’s 62 points as LSU played maybe their best 20 minutes in the second half, making 16-of-30 shots (53.3%) and 7-of-15 at the arc (46.7%).
 
Texas A&M dominated the first 20 minutes jumping out to a 10-2 lead and then 17-2 in the first nine minutes as LSU could not put together buckets, shooting just 6-of-23 (26.1%) and 3-of-14 from the arc, while A&M was 12-of-23 in the first half (52.2%) and 6-of-9 from the arc (66.7%). A&M was 11-of-13 at the free throw line as well.
 
A&M led by as much as 29 in the first half and by 41-17 at the halftime intermission.
 
LSU came out with a new fire in the second half, however, and slowly tried to whittle away at the A&M advantage, cutting the game to 16 points 2:30 in and to 12 on a Miller three-pointer, 51-39, with 12:08 to play.
 
Even though the Tigers could not keep A&M from getting points, the Tigers continued to battle and Miller’s three-pointer with 4:08 to play put LSU within eight at 61-53. That would be the first of four times the Tigers cut the game to eight in the final minutes before A&M pushed it out to the final 12-point deficit.
 
LSU finished the game at 41.5 percent (22-of-53) and 10-of-29 from the arc (34.5%). A&M finished the game at 20-of-42 (47.6%) with eight treys and 26-of-32 at the free throw line.
 
LSU out rebounded A&M, 30-12, and after giving up 42 points in the paint in the first meeting, had a 22-18 advantage on the Aggies in this game.
 
Wade Taylor IV had 23 points to lead Texas A&M, while Dexter Dennis had 13 and Tyrece Radford 12.
 
LSU must turn around quickly as they leave Monday for a Tuesday 7:30 p.m. game in Athens against the University of Georgia.
---
 
LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement…
“Great win for Texas A&M. I have a lot of respect for how they have handled their season. I know they struggled a little bit in early November but man, they just embody everything you want your team to be. They play their tail off, they are physical and tough, they are connected. They play for each other. Every player on their team is a star in their role and you just have a lot of respect for that. In the first half, obviously it’s incredibly disappointing. I just don’t understand not coming out ready to play. I thought we missed some easy ones there early around the basket. We missed a layup, we missed a couple of threes and we let that dictate our defensive energy, intensity and attention to detail. They just carved us up there. Obviously, I’m not going to sit here and talk about the second half, that’s how you should play. I thought our guys came out and played with a lot of passion, energy and toughness. It was probably our most efficient offensive half of SEC play. It’s going to be hard to win when you don’t give yourself a chance there in the first half.”
 
On the main differences between the first and second half…
“Energy, effort, toughness, maybe some pride too. All those things that are the price of admission. What a privilege it is to put the jersey on, coach here. You have got to put everything you have into it.”
 
On the play of Tyrell Ward, Shawn Phillips Jr. and Jalen Reed…
“I’ve been really pleased with their progression. I thought Tyrell (Ward) played extremely hard, made a few mistakes on the defensive end but that is going to happen. I’m an easy coach to play for. You just play your tail off and be about the team and we will live with the mistakes and coach and teach them to get better. I think he did some good things for us tonight and has really stepped forward there. Shawn Phillips, I love his passion. He really cares. It means a lot to him. He is a lot of growing and learning to do, but I know it means a lot to him. Really cares. When you have a guy there at seven feet with his length, he can move. He will just keep getting better and better. I thought Jalen (Reed) came in, gets five rebounds, had a really nice drive and finish and showed some emotion. I think those three continue to get better every time out.”
 
LSU Guard Adam Miller
On the energy exerted in the second half …
“A lot of energy, but it is not like we were here in the first half, so that is how you are supposed to feel after a game. You should feel wiped out. We didn’t play 40 minutes, we played 20 minutes. If we would have played 40 minutes, we probably would have been more tired than this. We exerted a lot more energy than we did in the first half, not just on the court, but with our communication, picking each other up. The intangibles in the game were picked up in the second half. I think we won the second half with points. It is kind of like a cycle now that we have to break. We just have to lead by example, keep pushing each other. It is kind of hard, I feel like as a team, we come here every day. If you come here and see our practices, we practice hard every day. It is just the little things. We just have to put it together. I feel like it is on the players, not on the coaching staff or anything. The players just chose to play 20 minutes today, myself also.”
 
On the freshmen’s growth …
“I think the upperclassmen have to lead, show the freshmen class and the younger guys how things are supposed to be done. I feel like we have to continue to grow in that area, to continue to get these guys ready. I feel like Tyrell (Ward) did a great job. Ever since he got here, he puts in extra work. I am not surprised for him to take advantage of the opportunity. We have some hard-working freshmen. Shawn Phillips, he plays his heart out… he was the guy that got us going in the second half. He came in here, all around the locker room. The attitude he put on, he showed us that we have a guy like that who wants to play. As upperclassmen, he is pouring his heart out to us and it ignited our fire for us in the second half. The freshmen class, like Jalen Reed, I feel like they take advantage of their opportunities, and they are going to keep growing. We just have to keep leading them, believing them.”
 
LSU Forward Tyrell Ward
 
On his personal growth…
“I would just say I was waiting for my opportunity and not getting impatient because if I were to rush my opportunity to happen, it would not happen this way. Just staying consistent with my habits, like working, being the first one out for every game, being first and last for every practice. The little things like that will carry over, no matter what.”
 
On his offensive aggressiveness …
“I feel like I always have been capable of doing it, just like I said before, just waiting on my opportunity and not forcing anything, taking my defense good.”
---
Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams
On the end of the first half…
“I think their [LSU] sixth basket was at the buzzer on three over there away from us, but there was a long time that they were at one basket. Then they were at two baskets. Then I think at the fourth media timeout, they were at four baskets and there was a period of time that the two free throws were their points along with one basket. We were locked into what we were doing. We knew what they were doing and even as they began to make adjustments to their plan, our guys were sensing it. We needed to lock in and do this.”
 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
2/8/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   STARKVILLE, MS. –  Despite multiple 10-0 scoring runs by the Tigers in the first half, LSU Basketball fell on the road to Mississippi State, 64-53, on Wednesday night in Humphrey Coliseum.LSU goes to 12-12 overall and 1-10 in conference play while Mississippi State improves to 16-8 overall and 4-7 in the SEC.

After starting the game down 10-0, the Tigers made back-to-back 10-0 scoring runs of their own to tie the game and then take a 20-14 with 8:21 remaining in the first half. However, Mississippi State would respond with a 11-2 scoring run to to end the half and take a 25-22 lead at the break. In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to score at will, and combined with the run they put together at the end of the first half, had a 20-3 scoring run and built a 34-23 lead with 15:42 remaining in the game.

In addition to the scoring runs, a familiar problem plagued the Tigers: turnovers. LSU turned the ball over 15 times which led to 20 points off turnovers for the Bulldogs.

“Really tough to go on the road and start a game down 10-0 against a team that is this good defensively. So, credit to Mississippi State for that, ” said head coach Matt McMahon. “Then, we were up 22-16 there, credit to our guys, we really fought back. I thought our half court defense in the first half was terrific. They (State) scored 15 of their 25 off our turnovers or off offensive rebounds. Then, we did not finish the half in strong fashion. We could not score. Credit to them there. Then a couple unfortunate bounces there, almost had a shot clock violation that turned into a three-point play there to end the half. Then to start the second half, I thought they just came out and punched us in the face and we were unable to respond.”

KJ Williams led the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with 11 points and five boards. Adam Miller and Derek Fountain both added 10 points as well. LSU shot 20-47 on field goals (42%) and 7-21 on threes for the game.

For the Bulldogs, D.J. Jeffries led the team in scoring, finishing the night with 18 points and seven rebounds. Shakeel Moore added 13 points of his own and Tolu Smith had 10 points and seven rebounds as well. Mississippi State finished 26-50 on field goals (52%) and 6-16 from the arc. The Bulldogs shot 65% on field goals in the second half as they came away with the conference win.

“I thought our half court defense in the first half was fantastic. We were flying around; guys were in gaps,” said McMahon. “After they hit the two threes to start the game, they (State) didn’t make another three the rest of the half. The second half, however, our half court defense really let us down. They executed well, but you are not going to win on the road when your opponent shoots 65 percent, especially as difficult as it is for us to score the ball.”

​The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday as they host Texas A&M in the PMAC at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.” Tickets are available at LSUTix.net.

Da Boot Sports
2/4/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s basketball team put a tremendous fight against No. 4 Alabama but couldn’t make enough plays to get the victory, falling 79-69, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers fall to 12-11 overall, 1-9 in the SEC, while Alabama is now at 20-3, 10-0 in the league.
LSU played hard throughout, trying to erase the memory of the 40-point loss some three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa. LSU never allowed the Tide to get out by more than 12 points in the game and the Tigers cut the deficit to just two points three times in the second half, at 50-48 with 15:48 to play, 53-51 with 14:39 to go and 56-54 with 13:09 to play.

But after Adam Miller’s three-pointer that made it 56-54 in favor of Alabama, the Tide got a three-pointer and after an LSU miss pushed the margin back out to seven and LSU never got closer than six the rest of the game.
LSU junior Derek Fountain had by far his best game as a collegiate, scoring 26 points in 35 minutes, making 6-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-3 from the arc and 12-of-15 at the free throw line as he drew a total of nine fouls. Fountain, whose previous career high was as a freshman ironically in the Maravich Center as a Mississippi State Bulldog against LSU, was 20.

Fountain also had two assists, no turnovers and blocked four shots.

Junior Cam Hayes also had a good game with 15 points and a co-high eight boards in 28 minutes, with three treys for LSU.

Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney each had 14 points to lead Alabama’s five in double figures with Mark Sears and Nimari Burnett each getting 13. Brandon Miller had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Both teams played pretty clean basketball with LSU having its second lowest turnover number of the season at eight, while Alabama turned it over nine times. LSU had a 7-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Tigers out rebounded Alabama, 40-35, and had for the third straight game an advantage in offensive rebounds of 13-4, but it only resulted in a 6-4 advantage in second chance points.

Alabama shot 44.8 percent for the game (26-of-58), including 53.3 percent (16-of-30) in the first half when they opened up a 44-37 halftime lead. LSU shot just 30.6 percent for the game (19-of-62) with seven treys.

Both teams were good at the foul line, with Alabama making 14-of-15 (93.3%) and LSU finishing 24-of-31 (77.4%)

​LSU returns to the road on Wednesday night to face Mississippi State in Starkville, before a Saturday night 7:30 p.m. game against Texas A&M.
  

Photos Below By: Grant Jarreau

Da Boot Sports
2/2/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   COLUMBIA, Missouri – The LSU basketball team had its best and longest stretch of sustained offense Wednesday night, but couldn’t stop a first-half barrage of three-pointers in an 87-77 loss to Missouri at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers had six players in double figures with two double doubles as LSU made 11 three-pointers and had opportunities in the second half to cut a quickly established double digit lead by Mizzou down to single digits inside the final eight minutes.

“The way they (Missouri) play with their pressure and their switching and denial defense makes it difficult just to come down and run sets and execute in the half court. So, what ends up happening is you have to go by that pressure and make plays,” said head coach Matt McMahon. “I thought we were able to do that with success at times. You see the balance in the scoring, I thought we were able to get good looks throughout the game. Unfortunately, when you go on the road and give up 87, you are going to have to be a lot more efficient there on some of those opportunities we had on the offensive end.”

KJ Williams had his sixth double double as he led LSU with 15 points and 11 rebounds, making 6-of-10 from the field and one three pointer while Derek Fountain recorded his third double double of the season, scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds.

Juice Hill, in his longest stint since returning back to the team (35 minutes), had 13 points and four assists. Also, at 11 points for LSU was Adam Miller and Trae Hannibal. Hannibal also had five assists.

Kobe Brown hit 10-of-11 shots for Missouri, including 5-of-6 treys to tally 26 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Noah Carter and DeAndre Gholston had 14 points each and Isiaih Mosley had 12 points.

Missouri hit 11 first-half three-pointers, the most they had recorded in 10 seasons in opening up an 18-point advantage in the first 20 minutes. Mizzou hit 11-of-23 three-point attempts and was 6-of-9 inside the arc to finish the first half 17-of-32 from the field and up 48-35 at intermission.

“Yeah, that was the ballgame right there. You look at the first 12 minutes we were unable to defend the three-point line at all, whether it was man, zone or switching we just couldn’t get the job done. You look at their two front court guys at the four and five position with (Noah) Carter and (Kobe) Brown, they go 8-of-12 from three with the majority of that done in the first half,” said McMahon. “Really put us in a position where we were trying to fight and claw to get back in the game. I thought we had some opportunities there. From the eight-minute mark to the four-minute mark, we had a lot of open looks and some opportunities in transition that we were not able to convert and get that lead back down to six or seven.”

LSU began in the second half to attack over the Missouri press and drive to the goal and cut the margin to 11 twice – the first at the 7:34 mark with possession of the ball after a Missouri inbounds turnover. LSU was unable to close the game after missing two three-point attempts on the next possession.

The Tigers would again get the game back to 11, 79-68, with 6:04 to play and after blocking a field goal attempt by Missouri, LSU missed again from distance which would have cut the game to single digits.

A three-pointer by Miller with 16 seconds left got LSU back as close as it had been since early in the contest.
LSU out rebounded Missouri, 38-32, with an impressive 15-5 advantage on the offensive glass which resulted in an 18-7 advantage in second chance points.

LSU turned the ball over 12 times to Missouri’s 10 but the points off turnovers difference, which had plagued LSU in January SEC games, was just three, 17-14.

It marked the first game LSU had more than four players in double figures and the most balanced offensive showing of the year.

​LSU returns to Baton Rouge and the Maravich Center to host nationally-ranked Alabama on Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at LSUTix.net.

Da Boot Sports
1/31/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


​   BATON ROUGE, LA - I want to personally thank former LSU basketball coach Will Wade for setting our basketball program back into a dismal rebuilding process caused by his crookedness

​   The LSU fan base accepted you with open arms when you arrived in Baton Rouge and had your back with massive support during your late season suspension in 2019.

   You have gone on to represent the dark side of college athletics.

​   Why sir?

   Why break so many rules while recruiting kids to Baton Rouge when you have so many reason why it can be done without any violations?

   Was it worth it Will?  It wasn't worth it to LSU fans

   LSU has a solid basketball tradition, thanks to great coaches like Dale Brown and John Brady who helped take the Bayou Bengals to a winning, respectable level without needing to stoop to oozing slime of desperation, chancing to destroy the program.

   The LSU basketball program and the fans are now suffering for your actions.

   You sir are the definition of corruption in college athletics and it angers and sickens me what your actions have done to our basketball program. You should adopt a new nickname. Change it from 'The General' to "The Corrupter"...

   I hope one day the NCAA will decide to punish head coaches who commit these serious violations, holding them more accountable, handing down harsher punishment on the guilty instead of punishing the universities, players and the fans.

   Here is some of the wire tap conversation that lead to Will Wade’s firing and to the current LSU basketball struggles.


   “I was thinking last night on this Smart thing,” Wade told Dawkins in the audio clip. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m f***ing tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just f***ing sick of dealing with this s**t. … What do you think? Because I went to him with a f***ing strong-ass offer about a month ago. F***ing strong.
   “The problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now, it was f***ing tilted towards the family a little bit,” Wade continued.. “But I mean it was a f***ing hell of a f***ing offer. Like, hell of an offer. Especially for a kid who is going to be a two or three-year kid. I’ve made deals for as good a players as hm that were f***ing a lot simpler than this.”
   “We could compensate him better than the rookie minimum,” Wade said in the wiretapped audio. “We’d give him more than the D-League.”

   Wade was at LSU from 2017-2022, compiling a 108-54 record while winning the SEC regular season title in 2018-19.

​   He was fired on March 12, 2022 right before the beginning of the NCAA Tournament when LSU was notified of 11 alleged violations committed by Wade, eight of them Level I.

   As I continue to painfully watch the Tigers during their current eight game losing streak, I find myself becoming more and more angry at our former coach.

   Currently, Will Wade has his own podcast, “The Will Wade Podcast”

   On one of his current episodes, titled: ‘How to BUILD a SUCCESSFUL College Basketball Program in 2023 with Will Wade’..

   What a joke! It should be titled, ‘How to cheat while trying to build a successful college basketball program’

   Some of Wade’s comical comments during this show are below…

   "Everybody talks about culture," Wade said. . "Culture is a bunch of BS. Just win. ... People are not that patient anymore."
   “You can't build a program anymore. You have to build a team. That is just the way it is with the portal and all that stuff. You are trying to build a program? The kids are going to transfer before you get any good. Every situation is unique, every job is unique and you have to figure out how you can win at that place. Whatever it may be."

   Wade would go on to add,….

​   "You have to win, period. You gotta find a way to win. How can you win? Good culture is winning. Everybody is happy when you win. When you lose? Everything goes haywire. You hear from people, everyone has ideas, all that sort of stuff. As long as you’re winning, it doesn’t matter. That culture is winning. All this other junk is what it is. Can you win? What do you need to do to win?

​   
   What a delusional basket case!

   Wade also hopes to return to coaching college basketball soon. I surely hope that he never again has the opportunity to ruin another school's basketball program. 

   Once again, thanks a lot for being responsible for the pitiful state of our LSU basketball program,

   Good bye Will Wade and good riddance!

Da Boot Sports
1/29/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Kent Lowe


   BATON ROUGE – LSU could not keep up with the Texas Tech Red Raiders with key plays in the final 8:59 of Saturday’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and dropped a 76-68 decision.
 
LSU dropped to 12-9 with the loss, while Texas Tech moved to 11-10.
 
Offensively the Tigers were able to get their offense going in a much more productive way at times in the contest, but couldn’t stop Texas Tech’s ability from distance as they hit 11-of-18 from the arc (61.1%) and 25-of-54 overall for the game (46.3 percent). The Tigers shot over 40 percent in the first half (12-of-28 with 6-of-13 from distance), but could only it 10-of-31 (32.3%) in the second half.
 
LSU finished at 37.3 percent (22-of-59) and hit 9-of-26 three pointers (34.6%).
 
The Tigers, down eight at intermission, 41-33, was able to get back in the game, getting the game back to two on a couple of occasions before Adam Miller’s three put LSU up, 46-45, with 13:30 left. Kerwin Walton then hit two consecutive three-point baskets from the deep corner to give the Red Raiders a 51-46 advantage some two minutes later.
 
But LSU made a 10-0 run to take a five-point, 56-51 lead with 8:59 to play.
 
Juice Hill, who returned to the Tigers after a week away for personal reasons, hit a corner three to make the Red Raider lead just two, 51-49, and after a shot clock violation, Derek Fountain drove the lanes and scored to tie the game at 51-51.
 
Texas Tech turned it over again and Cam Hayes hit a layup to give LSU a 53-51 advantage. TTU missed a three and KJ Williams nailed a three to complete the run and go up five.
 
But Texas Tech would score the next six points to take a one-point, 57-56, advantage as Kevin Obanor scored on two second chance buckets and a runout layup.
 
Derek Fountain made two free throws for a 58-57 LSU lead with 7:33 to play, but LSU went cold, missing 10 straight shots and only getting six free throws in the next seven minutes as Texas Tech closed the game on a 19-10 run for the final margin.
 
Miller was able to get his shot going during the game, hitting 5-of-10 three-pointers and 6-of-12 shots for the game to finish with 20 points for the Tigers while KJ Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds and Derek Fountain had 10 points.
 
Obanor had 22 points to lead Texas Tech, while Walton hit 5-of-6 three-pointers to finish with 17 and De’Vion Harmon had 14 points and eight assists.
Texas Tech out rebounded LSU, 36-34, but the Tigers had a 17-15 advantage in offensive boards, leading to 20 second chance points in a game that featured four ties and 12 lead changes.
 
The Tigers hit the midway point of league play on Wednesday night as they play the late Wednesday tilt on the SEC Network at 8 p.m. at Missouri. LSU returns home next Saturday for a 3 p.m. game with nationally-ranked Alabama.
---
POST-GAME QUOTES
LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement…
“Credit to Texas Tech on the win today. Disappointing loss for our team. I thought there were certainly some areas that were much improved for our program today. We came out in the second half and were able to get the lead, go up by five with nine minutes to play. We held them to 10 points the first 11 minutes of the second half. We did a good job from an execution standpoint. But then, just some of the attention to detail, had some breakdowns. Missed a free-throw box out that led to a three-point play. We got into some foul trouble and then we were not able to get stops down the stretch and we were not able to knock down shots. Credit to Texas Tech on the win.”
 
On LSU’s struggle to after KJ Williams’ picked up his fourth foul...
“We really struggled to score from that point forward. When he (KJ Williams) went out, and he didn’t have his more efficient day from two-point range, but I thought the flow of the offense was a lot better when he was on the floor. Again, you go back to the free-throw box out. They convert that into an and-one and then they (Texas Tech) hit two threes, and obviously we were trying to get Adam Miller as many looks as we could. I thought it was great to see him shoot the ball well from three today. They (Texas Tech) did a good job of switching out and they were denying him on a lot of his catches. Then, when they switched their five man onto him, we wanted to space the floor and have him drive it and that lead to some playmaking opportunities. At the end of the day, in the second half we were 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three, and that’s just not good enough to win.”
 
LSU Guard Adam Miller
 
On the final eight minutes…
“I don't think it was nothing necessarily we saw, it is just sometimes hard to keep up, you know, when we kind of shoot ourselves in the foot there. The turnovers, and not boxing out, that was hard to keep up. When people get easy buckets. We get some tip passes, you know what I’m saying, they come over with the 50/50 ball, so it was kind of hard to keep up with those, on the offensive end. Things like that, it’s just kind of hard to keep up with that.”
 
On playing faster…
“Yeah, definitely. A big emphasis this week was spacing, getting out on spacing, definitely the last 12 seconds on the shot clock. So, we can have driving lanes, so we can make plays for each other, we can get threes, open threes, we can move the ball... Really just the whole game plan, like coming out the second half, I told everybody just come out like we came out against Arkansas, even though we were down, just keep pushing, have that attacking mentality. That’s kind of how we came out, and you just have to finish that way.”
 
On the efficiency and the flow of the offense …
“Yeah, I think we did pretty good on offense. Like I said, turnovers were a problem tonight. But I think, like I said, the spacing was a little better. I think some of our passes, I think I threw a couple where somebody may have helped on me, I threw them a pass but it wasn't on the seams. As a shooter, you kind of want the ball in the rhythm and on the seam so you can knock it down. So, I know I caught like two or three, it was offscreen so you don’t really want to shoot those, but then sometimes you feel like you have to shoot them. Yeah, we just tried to create more of those tonight and it was kind of hard, like I said, with the turnovers and missed box outs.”
---
Texas Tech Head Coach Mark Adams
Opening Statement …
“This win was significant for a lot of reasons. We needed the W and to get it on the road was even better. I thought we played very good basketball for most of the game. I thought we did well on both ends and shared the ball. We had individuals who really stepped up. Kevin (Obanor) really stepped up and showed his leadership. He had over 20 points and played his heart out. Our bench played well and of course Kerwin Walton had a good night for us as well. It is encouraging for us to see these young guys play the way they did tonight.”
 
On what this win means…
“I am proud of these guys. Obviously, it has been a really tough January for us. We have been in every game except one and have not been able to finish them. It was great to see these guys get off to a great start and then finish. They made free throws and made plays down the stretch to help us win so it is certainly a confidence builder. I am happy for these guys they certainly deserve it.”

Da Boot Sports
1/24/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   FAYETTEVILLE, AR - LSU traveled to Fayetteville on Tuesday hoping to break their losing streak against
a struggling Arkansas squad, but the Tigers ended up being just the medicine that the Razorbacks needed as the Hogs dominated the Bayou Bengals, 60-40. 

   The LSU offense continues to sputter horribly. Since SEC play has begun the Tigers have failed to score over 60 points in six of their eight conference games. 

   No Tigers finished in double figures as KJ Williams and Adam Miller lead the team with nine points each while Trae Hannibal added eight points. 

   “It’s the conversation no one wants to hear, but I do agree. In the first half, we just couldn’t finish at the rim and the turnovers killed us,” said head coach Matt McMahon. “We have a pretty simple formula that would give us a chance, you saw that some in the second half. We were able to execute and finish some plays, not have the crazy turnovers that led to transition. What that enables you to do is set your defense. When you turn it over 10 times and miss 22 of you 25 shots against an elite transition offensive team, you are in big trouble. Second half, we were able to finish a few plays, make a few shots and set our defense and were pretty effective there in our half court defense.”

   The Tigers stunk it up in the first half as they shot 3-25 from the floor for 12%, 0-3 from behind three point land and 8-11 from the charity stripe, as they went into the half traveling the Razorbacks, 38-14.

   Matt McMahon managed to light a fire under his players at the break as they began the second half looking like a different team, going on a 15-2 run to pull to within, 40-29 at the 14:55 mark. 

   But that's as close as the Tigers would get as they began to cool off, allowing the Hogs to retake control and eventually begin to pull away, outscoring LSU, 14-5 over the final 9:03 of the contest.

   Our Tigers are now 12-8, 1-7 as the slump continues with no relief in sight. 

   Next up the Tigers will return home and take a one game break from SEC play, hosting Texas Tech in
the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:00pm CST. 
  

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!

​Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness

Da Boot Sports
​1/23/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - I want to thank Coach Dale Brown for sharing this wonderful article written by Mr. Andre Moreau with me.. Now I'm honored to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did..  


   

            Coach Dale Browns Journey At LSU by Andre Moreau


   I attended the first basketball game Dale Brown coached at LSU (a 94-81 upset of nationally ranked Memphis St.) and knew in that moment things would be different for LSU basketball.  At the time, I was an 8th grader at U-High.  By my freshman year at LSU, fortunes were rising rapidly which meant on occasion, our Mike the Tiger mascot was descending from the PMAC ceiling.  It also meant invincible Kentucky had met its match. Brown’s teams beat Kentucky 18 times. No other coach accomplished that.

In his 25 years, Coach Brown led LSU to heights never imagined and put his name in the SEC and LSU record books too many times to mention.  A big mention though, Brown became second only to the great Adolph Rupp of Kentucky in all-time SEC victories.  In addition, he remains only the second SEC coach to appear in 15 straight national tournaments. Brown and Rupp are only SEC coaches in history to have 17 consecutive non-losing seasons.

Brown's teams won 4 SEC titles, finished second 4 times, and won the only SEC tournament title in LSU history..  His Tigers went to the Final Four in 1981 and 1986.

Dale's impact at LSU made the Tigers relevant year in, year out and sellouts were the norm. He orchestrated special event record Superdome crowds in wins over Georgetown and Notre Dame with crowds of 54,321 and 68,112.

I had the privilege of covering LSU basketball as a sports anchor at WAFB-TV (1987-94).  I came to know Coach for his fair treatment of media and as a friend.  As I moved to Top 10 markets nationwide, we remained in contact. When I returned to Baton Rouge and WAFB, a close, trusted friendship developed.

I also knew and was crazy about Sue Gunter.  Both she and Brown were approachable which is quite a rarity. Sue Gunter was a fine woman and a good coach, but, in no way did she achieve what Dale achieved. In every way,  Dale brought LSU basketball into the modern era, making the Tigers a household name.  He recruited and built relationships with African American players, white American players, players black and white from countries all over the world and forged teams that loved one another and played for one another.  His players loved him because he loved them and went the distance for them.  He developed them not just as players, but as men, and to this day, remains in contact with all of those still living.

I am the youngest of 10 children raised by my parents, Al and Lilla May Moreau.  My father was the captain of LSU's famed five-man NCAA champion track team, then twice world record holder in the high hurdles and captain of the American track team and later ultra-successful track coach at LSU, winning 8 SEC titles in 15 years as coach.  He's a member of the LSU and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.  Joe Alleva, some years ago, wanted to put my father's name on the track.  Al Moreau Track at Bernie Moore Stadium was the pitch he made to our family during a meeting he orchestrated.  But he attached a $2.5 million dollar price tag to the deal, and we kindly said, no thanks.  My Dad, like Dale Brown, deserves better.  You also know my brother Doug.  LSU All-American, Miami Dolphins star, EBR District Attorney and for 51 years, a fixture offering his expertise on the LSU football radio network.  I ran track and earned a letter at LSU. My sisters went to LSU. As you see, our LSU bloodlines run very deep.

My connection to LSU has allowed me to have a front row seat at some decisions LSU officials regrettably made over the years.  Many were likely for good reasons, but some clearly had personal agendas attached.  Such seems to be the case trying to put Sue Gunter's name on the court that only last year was most deservedly named for Coach Brown.  Currently, President Tate, Verge Ausberry, D.D. Breaux (in her ambassador capacity) and some Board members are pushing for something they say is in the name of political correctness and fairness.  However, I am among many who believe other motives are involved.  Your champion for diversity, equal rights and fairness is Dale Brown.  He's always been that voice for LSU. It's part of his DNA, instilled by his loving mother.  It's why he's always been at the forefront of what's right and what's fair.  He was fighting for equality long before it was popular, so HE is your ideal role model.  He is the ultimate teacher on the subject.

I am enclosing a video piece I did last year on Coach and Collis Temple when it was announced that Dale Brown Court would finally happen.  I encourage you to watch and listen.  I encourage you to do what is right.  Thank you.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rOywFwcvSY&t=108s

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!

​Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness

Da Boot Sports
1/21/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - On Saturday afternoon LSU honored their 1979 basketball team during LSU's contest with the 9th ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

   The Tigers' season meltdown continued, dropping their 6th game in a row as the Vols easily defeated the Bayou Bengals, 77-56.

   Once again, it was an ugly outing to witness as Tennessee pulled away late in the first half, then cruised to the easy blow out victory in the second half. 

   Tennessee hit 12 three pointers and scored 33 points off of 19 LSU turnovers. 

   “Credit to Tennessee, there’s a reason they are a top five team in the country." Matt McMahon said. "I
think, from our standpoint, when you have an opportunity in a game like this you have to find some way eliminate a lot of mistakes. You don’t see numbers like that often where you turn it over and it leads to so many points. When you are playing a top five team, they make you pay for every mistake, every single mistake and that’s what they did today. Both from points off turnovers, missing a switch, you miss a coverage on a flair screen, and they make you pay every time. So, credit to them. They have a terrific team and for us, obviously we’re being tested. We’re being tested and we will find out what we are about as we start preparation for the next opportunity on Tuesday."

   LSU kept the game competitive through most of the first 20 minutes, trailing by only seven points, 27-20 at the 4:11 mark. 

   The Volunteers then went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, to hold a 39-22 lead at halftime.

   Tennessee pressed the accelerator to the floor to start the second half, leaving the wounded Tigers in
the dust, building as much as a 27 point lead. 

   KJ Williams lead the Tigers with 16 points, Trae Hannibal finished with 10 points, while Jalen Reed contributed nine.

   The Tigers wore throwback uniforms in the contest as part of honoring Dale Brown's 1979 squad who finished
26-6, 14-4 and ended up winning the school's first SEC Championship in 25 years. 

   LSU now sits at 12-7, 1-6 and next will travel to Fayetteville on Tuesday, January 24 to take on a revenge minded Arkansas team who LSU defeated earlier in the season, 60-57 in the PMAC. Tip-off is set for 6:00pm CST and will be televised on ESPN2. 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication!

Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness

Da Boot Sports
1/18/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU return home to the PMAC on Wednesday night looking to break their four game losing streak against the Auburn Tigers, but the melt down continued as the Bayou Bengals were defeated 67-59 in front of 9,967 Tiger fans in attendance. 

   It was another ugly performance by the Tigers as Auburn never trailed and controlled the game from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer sounded.

   Through most of the first half LSU was able to at least stay within shouting distance and actually
cut Auburn's lead to three, 16-13 with a three pointer by KJ Williams at the 7:48 mark.

   But the visiting Tigers shifted it into another gear for the rest of the half, going on a 16-8 run to end the first period, taking a 32-21 lead at the break.


   LSU opened the second half with an 11-2 run to cut the Auburn lead to two, 34-32 at the 15:50 mark, but Auburn once again took control going on a 27-10 run over the next ten minutes taking a 61-42 lead. 

   Over the final 6:27 of the contest, the Tigers were unable to score a basket, going 0-11 from the floor as their final five points came from the charity stripe. 

   “I thought we were able to get out in transition some to feed off our defense. We did a better
job moving without the basketball and converting some of those plays which enabled us to mix
some defensive coverages and give ourselves a better chance there." Matt McMahon said. "Then we forced a three. I believe it was 34-30 late in the shot clock. We had it covered in the box outs but didn’t get that
rebound. We turn it over on our end and that leads to a basket in transition, so now the lead is
six. We did a poor job at executing against the press on a possession they hit a three, its nine
and another turnover now it's back to 11. So all that work to start the half was down the drain
and with our lack of ability to score going back down with double figures was just too much for
us to overcome. Great credit to Auburn for their physicality and execution on both ends of the
floor. Give great credit to Auburn. I thought their defense was terrific, very physical. Obviously
you saw their ability to make it difficult for us to finish plays in the painted area. Certainly
dominated in the paint.”

​   KJ Williams and Trae Hannibal both paced the Tigers with 16 points each while Justice Williams finished with seven on the night. 

   With the loss the Tigers are now 12-6 overall and 1-5 in SEC play.... 

   Next up LSU will host #9 Tennessee in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3:00pm.
The game will be televised by ESPN. 
  

Photos By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
1/14/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   TUSCALOOSA, AL - LSU traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on a red hot Alabama basketball team and payed the price as the Crimson Tide dismantled the Bayou Bengals on national television, 106-66.

   Holy S**t! For the second straight contest there simply isn't much to write about. LSU simply picked up where they left off in the second half of Tuesday night's game against Florida. Ugly Basketball! The worse LSU loss since the 1994-95 season. 

   "That was as thorough of a butt kicking as I've ever been a part of. Got to give a lot of credit to Alabama,” said Coach Matt McMahon. “Not many positives to take away, I guess the only thing is in the second half we didn't lay down and get beat by a hundred."

   Cam Hayes and KJ Williams both lead the Tigers in scoring with ten points each, followed by
Derek Fountain and Justice Williams who both finished with nine points apiece.  

   Alabama did a lot of their damage from behind the three point arc, hitting 20-54 for 37% on the night. 
They attempted 33 of those in the first 20 minutes, sinking 14 of them as they took a commanding 59-22 lead into the locker room at half. 

   Freshman Brandon Miller was red hot from behind the arc, hitting 7-11 three pointers, finishing with
31 points for the Tide. 

   The Tide also dominated LSU on the boards, outrebounding the Tigers, 52-38. 

   With the loss LSU will limp home on a four game losing streak as they are now 12-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC play. 

   Next up the Tigers will try to stop the bleeding as they host a very good Auburn team on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 6:00pm CST in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center/Dale Brown Court. 
 

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
1/11/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


​   BATON ROUGE, LA - The Tigers dropped a tough one to the Florida Gators on Tuesday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, 67-56.

   The loss was LSU's third straight, dropping the Tigers to 12-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC play. 

   "Obviously, I’ll start off by giving Florida great credit for coming in here and getting a big road win." Matt McMahon said. "I think for us, you have opportunities to win games. We got to find ways to eliminate self-inflicted wounds. You look at 16 turnovers that go to 23 points on the other end.
   Our inefficiency on the offensive end from a shooting standpoint. I though there were a couple stretches that really hurt us.
   Number one, I thought our start, while terrific, you’re out 7-0. I thought our defense followed the game plan and did the things we needed to do there. I don’t think we took advantage of it. I thought we had some
opportunities to execute offensively there and build on the lead.
   After a really good first half defensively where we were able to protect our paint better, limit some of
(Colin) Castleton’s touches, force them into, I believe, 17 of their 28 shots behind the arc in the first half.
   I thought in the second half, they really put their head down and drove us. Our ability
to protect the paint was not effective, and I think that shows in the free-throw line. Their two-point shooting in the second half, which I believe was 9-for-12. We’re not going to be able to win games turning the ball over like that and then having some of those breakdowns around the rim"

   Nothing much to write about this one except that it was as horrifying as a Stephen King novel.

   After leading 28-25 at halftime, the Tigers played perhaps their worse half of basketball over the final
20 minutes as the Gators outscored LSU, 42-28.

   Florida took advantage of LSU miscues, scoring 23 points off of 16 Tiger turnovers. 

   KJ Williams was the Bayou Bengals' only bright spot of the contest as he finished with 23 points. He was the only Tiger to score in double figures. 

   Next up it doesn't get any easier as the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the 4th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Jan. 14. Tipoff is set for 3:00pm CST. The contest will be televised on ESPN. 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Give you life to Jesus)