The LSU men's basketball squad landed its second massive win in the span of a week, and they certainly paid for it.
The program was fined $100,000 by the Southeastern Conference for LSU fans storming the court following a 75-74 win over No. 17 Kentucky this week, which was announced by the league on Thursday. LSU also took down No. 11 South Carolina on the road this past Saturday.
Court- or field-storming fines have been automatically triggered in the SEC since 2004, but the first-time penalty was increased to its current rate at the most recent league meetings. A second offense would cost the program $250,000, followed by a $500,00 penalty for a third offense. The LSU football program has incurred multiple fines for such violations in recent seasons.
The fine will be paid to Kentucky, which is the policy for conference games. In non-conference games fines would be deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship fund.
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At the end of the day, the most effective way to keep fans from feeling the need to storm the court is to raise expectations, which this year's Tigers have certainly done in spurts. The Tigers sit at 14-12 (6-7 SEC) and have three wins over ranked opponents, sandwiching a stretch where they lost six of seven games. Still, there's reason to be optimistic in the second year of the Matt McMahon coaching era, with the team coming off a 2022-'23 season that featured a 2-16 record in conference play that included a 14-game losing streak.
The Tigers have five regular season games remaining, three at home, ahead of the SEC Tournament. They're next in action on Saturday, Feb. 24 when they host Mississippi State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.