Nicholls Upsets LSU in the PMAC

So much for progress.

LSU’s mens’ basketball team (1-1) was upset by Nicholls Friday night in the PMAC 68-66. If you didn’t watch the final score is deceptively close as the Colonels led LSU by as many as 24 points in the first half.

To LSU’s credit the Tigers fought back and took a 58-57 lead late in the game. LSU also had a 66-63 lead with 1:41 remaining but wouldn’t score again. Nicholls’ Jalen White hit the game winning shot with 1.2 seconds remaining.

“I apologize,” Matt McMahon said after the game.

Nicholls seemingly couldn’t miss in the first half, shooting 56 percent from the floor and hit nine threes. LSU, meanwhile, shot 25 percent. The Tiger defense tightened up in the second half as Nicholls shot 29 percent from the floor, but the damage was already done.

There’s no two ways about this: this is an absolutely brutal loss for Matt McMahon and maybe the lowest moment in his tenure as head coach. McMahon half jokingly/half seriously said at SEC Media Days the LSU job was “essentially a little bit of a dumpster fire” when he came in (not wrong!) but Friday night was a harsh reminder about how much further this program has to go.

Next up LSU takes on Dayton as part of the Charleston Classic.