By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY: A miserable conference season came to an appropriate end for LSU on Wednesday night.
The Tigers found no rhythm on offense and no answers on defense in a 91-62 loss to Mississippi State on Day 1 of the SEC Tournament. LSU finished the season 14-18.
Over the final 10 minutes and three seconds of the first half, LSU failed to make a single field goal. The Tigers missed 11 straight shots and 14 of 15. That allowed Mississippi State to open up a 21-point first half lead that settled at 20 thanks to a Daimion Collins free throw a minute before the break.
The offense never got better.
LSU finished the game a frigid 39 percent from the floor, 19 percent from the three-point line and 13-for-26 from the free throw line. It was arguably LSU’s worst shooting effort of the season.
That comes as little surprise when Cam Carter, who was Herculean all season, suffered through his toughest game of the year. Carter turned the ball over seven times and made just 4-of-12 of his field goals.
At times this year, LSU’s defense has held the Tigers close even with the offensive struggles. Not on this night.
For the third times in as many tries against LSU, Josh Hubbard torched LSU from everywhere on the floor. Just over a week since his 30-point outburst in Starkville, he poured in 26 more in Nashville. The rest of the Bulldogs shared the scoring wealth. No one other than Hubbard scored in double figures, but seven Bulldogs scored at least seven points.
Mississippi State made 15 threes, their most in a game since March 9, 2019. That’s a span of 201 games.
In the SEC’s greatest ever regular season, LSU failed to match up. The statistics show it. The record shows it. Wednesday night showed it. None of that matters moving forward.
The 2024-25 season was substandard, and now head coach Matt McMahon has to lay the groundwork on the next edition of the team. The transfer portal will open in two weeks. LSU needs a complete roster overhaul.
There are programs in the league now positioned to continue churning out great teams year over year. That’s not going anywhere. It’s time for LSU to start catching up.
THE STATS: LSU shot 5-for-36 (19%) from three. Miss. State shot 15-for-34 (44%) from three.
Miss. State outrebounded LSU 42-to-35
The Bulldogs outscored LSU off the bench 38-to-2.
Miss. State had 17 assists to LSU’s seven.
Jordan Sears finished his LSU career with a 7-for-17 game. He made 3-of-8 from deep and scored 20. He also had five steals.
Robert Miller was 6-for-7 from the floor and scored 14 points.
