LSU Basketball Drops Another SEC Game, Falling 106-66 to Alabama

In what became a day to forget for Matt McMahon and the Tigers, LSU fell to Alabama 106-66 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

It was rock bottom for the Bayou Bengals this season. This program has seen its fair share of disappointing moments this year, but the Crimson Tide wreaked havoc on the Tigers from the opening tip until the final buzzer.

Let’s get into the quick hits from Saturday:

Alabama's Brandon Miller Explodes

The freshman forward put together a masterful performance against the Tigers with 31 points and 9 rebounds on 11-of-16 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range. The potential Top 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft looked as good as advertised with LSU having no answers for the youngster.

It was truly about as spectacular of a performance as the Tigers will face all season. At halftime, Miller was already up to 22 points, matching the team total for LSU. McMahon’s group went into the half down 59-22 with Miller doing the heavy lifting for the Crimson Tide.

LSU went into Tuscaloosa knowing what they were up against when it came to Miller's offensive gifts, but he went above and beyond to put the country on notice once again as conference play ramps up.

The Rebounding Battle

The Tigers have struggled in a big way when it comes to rebounding the basketball. Whether it be giving opponents second chance buckets or being unable to give themselves more offensive opportunities, it’s been the same story this season for LSU.

Lacking size inside, it plagued the Tigers in the rebounding game. At halftime, the Crimson Tide doubled LSU’s rebound total (32-16) and it only continued to get worse. Alabama’s inside presence is dominant, but a breakdown of this magnitude by LSU was mind blowing.

Size played a major factor in the Tigers getting severely outrebounded, but lack of effort is another piece of the equation. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, this group showed no signs of life on the glass with the Crimson Tide totaling 22 second chance buckets in the first 20 minutes.

Defensive Inconsistency

The Tigers have rotated all season between playing man-to-man defense and a variation of zones, but inability to get comfortable in their sets has played a major factor in their losses. On Saturday, it was the same story.

Whether it was the Crimson Tide exploding from three-point range due to poor perimeter defense or electing to go inside and get buckets in the paint, LSU allowed them to get just about everything they could have wanted.

Many factors came into play on Saturday when it came to this side of the floor. From rebounding woes to lack of effort, it just wasn’t LSU’s day against the Crimson Tide.

Final Thoughts

Rome wasn’t built in a day. There were always going to be struggles with the Tigers in Year 1 of the McMahon era. After getting dominated by the Crimson Tide, LSU has the chance to rebound against Auburn on Wednesday.

Look for the Tigers to make a statement in order to get back on track after dropping their fourth consecutive conference game.