It’s felt like a broken record with this LSU team since the calendar turned to January.
Still, Saturday’s 82-73 home loss to a first-year coach in Lamont Paris and a South Carolina team that entered at 9-17 overall and 2-11 in SEC play seemed like a nadir in a doomed first campaign for coach Matt McMahon’s Tigers, which began the year 12-1 but have now lost 14 consecutive games.
South Carolina was locked in offensively from the opening tip. It hit its first five shots, all of which came from three-point range. McMahon had to burn an early timeout as LSU fell behind 15-5 less than five minutes into the game.
The Tigers, meanwhile, started the game just 3 of 12 from the field and trailed by as much as 12 in the first half. But things picked up a bit offensive for LSU (and cooled off for the Gamecocks, who ended the half on a 3:05 field goal drought). It was led by a nine-point half from Derek Fountain and cut the lead down to one at several points but ultimately trailed by five at the half.
Both teams shot 14 of 29 from the field in the second half, but LSU was much less efficient despite a breakout 25-point game from Cam Hayes and double-figure scoring outings from KJ Williams and Fountain. South Carolina had 20 total assists in this game and had four players score in double figures, including two 20-point performers.
The Tigers, meanwhile, had several scoring droughts in the second half that ultimately proved costly.
South Carolina sits more than 100 spots below the Tigers in the NET, making it the only SEC team to rank lower than McMahon’s squad. This Quadrant 4 loss is LSU’s worst of the season and ruins its perfect 9-0 record in such contests.
Now, a 1-17 finish in SEC play looks like a real possibility. Next up is a Quadrant 3 game at home against a Vanderbilt team that has been playing good basketball recently, followed by a road game against Ole Miss.
If LSU is going to win another SEC contest, it will likely have to come in one of these games as the Tigers close the year with tough games against Missouri and Florida.
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