Verge Ausberry’s first major move after being named LSU athletics director in November was the hiring of Lane Kiffin as the Tigers' head football coach. It took some work and patience; in the end, the vast majority of LSU fans are pleased with the decision.
LSU fans have spent the last two weeks refreshing their favorite social media app or checking the LSU Transfer Portal Tracker at wwl.com as Kiffin rebuilds the roster through the portal.
In the background of all the transfer portal craziness is another lost LSU men’s basketball season.
The Tigers fell to 0-4 in SEC play on Wednesday by blowing an 18-point lead and losing to Kentucky 75-74. The Wildcats beat the Tigers on a miraculous play. A Hail Mary pass from underneath their own basket to Malachi Moreno, who caught the ball, turned around, and nailed a jumper from the top of the key for a stunning UK win.
“I’m crushed for our players. I’m crushed for our fans. The environment was awesome. Our players laid it on the line, did everything we asked from a scouting standpoint, from a preparation standpoint. So, just crushed we didn’t finish the deal,” LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon said.
The loss might have also crushed any chance of LSU turning this season around and making a run for the NCAA Tournament.
It looked good for McMahon and the Tigers in the non-conference as LSU was 12-1 heading into SEC play.
But a couple of days before the SEC opener, LSU’s best player, starting point guard Dedan Thomas Jr, re-aggravated an old leg injury, and LSU has not looked the same since.
Injuries are part of the game, but that does not change expectations for this season.
“We’ve already had some discussions about what the expectations are,” Ausberry told the Baton Rouge Advocate on Tuesday. “One thing we want to do is make sure we’re in the NCAA Tournament. We made that very clear to Matt at the beginning of the year – that’s where we need to be.”
Ausberry was a guest on Newell Normand’s show and admitted that the loss of Thomas is a big deal.
“I would think we would be in a better position if we had him on our team right now. I think we might be 4-0 in SEC play. So, when he gets back, you know, we’re just going to evaluate and assess where we are. We’re not rushing to judgment,” Ausberry said.
McMahon is in his fourth season, and his record in SEC play is a dreadful 14-44.
Ausberry said on WWL Radio that a decision on McMahon’s future will be made after the season.
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“We’ll let it play out and see where we are. At the end of the year, (LSU president) Dr. (Wade) Rousse and all of us will get together, and we’ll talk, and we’ll evaluate. That’s every program. That’s not just basketball, but every program. We’ll sit down and do an evaluation of it and see where we are, and what the next steps are,” Ausberry said.
The next step could be a new men’s basketball coach. It will be a difficult decision for Ausberry as McMahon has given it his all with limited NIL resources, unfortunate injuries, and tough losses in the final minutes.
Choosing Kiffin as the next head football coach at LSU was an easy choice; figuring out the future of the LSU men's basketball program is much harder.