Coach Matt McMahon called the NCAA Tournament the “North Star” for LSU basketball a couple of times this offseason.
Every roster decision and new staff hire — such as Ronald Dupree as the program’s first general manager — has been motivated by the team’s desire to return to The Big Dance for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
That mission starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday when LSU faces Tarleton State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
In charge of leading the Tigers for a fourth year is McMahon, who fielded a team that went 14-18 overall and 3-15 in the Southeastern Conference last year.
The Advocate spoke to 11-year ESPN national college basketball writer Jeff Borzello about McMahon’s job security entering the 2025-26 season. This interview happened before LSU fired football coach Brian Kelly.
McMahon’s position on the hot seat is clear to Borzello. He has an SEC record of 14-40 in three years and no NCAA Tournament appearances.
“You take that in a vacuum, and that’s enough to be on the hot seat,” Borzello said. “Throw in the fact that, again, even with an improved roster, they’re not projected to make the NCAA Tournament. And so just those two things combined, it’s pretty easy to make a case that he is on one of the hottest seats in the Power Five level right now.”
McMahon inherited a basketball program in 2022 with what Borzello called a “dark cloud” hanging over it. The previous coach, Will Wade, was fired for cause after committing NCAA violations. McMahon signed a contract that lasts until 2029 to rebuild the program. His buyout, if fired after this season, is roughly $6.5 million.
“We’ve seen it on the football side that many times that amount of money is not going to stop a school from making a move if they feel that it’s time,” Borzello said.
Borzello thinks McMahon will be gone if LSU misses the tournament again, but he can also see a scenario where McMahon stays if the team is one of the first four out when the bracket is revealed.
What also would factor into the decision is the risk of losing players from the high school recruiting trail and the following season’s transfer portal cycle.
Regardless, the only way for McMahon to “feel safe” is by making the tournament.
“I don’t know if LSU — with the resources they have and with the resources they use on this year’s roster — just don’t know if they’re going to go into year five without being to a tournament under McMahon,” Borzello said. “I wouldn’t say it’s guaranteed he gets fired if he doesn’t make the tournament, but I don’t think he’ll feel safe at all if they find themselves on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.”
Winning more games than last season, especially during SEC play, will alleviate some pressure. Being a competitive team in the conference is a possibility that’s not outlandish, Borzello said. He said LSU did a “quietly good job” improving its roster with mostly older players who can be “plug and play.”
The crown jewel of the overhaul is the new junior point guard from UNLV.
“I love Dedan Thomas,” Borzello said. “I’ve liked him since high school. Really good point guard, really good passer, one of the better non-Power Five point guards in the country last year.”
The SEC will be deep again after a season where an NCAA-record 14 teams made the tournament. While the top of the conference won’t be as elite, several teams in the middle and back half of the standings should be vying for bids again.
Finding a way to “thread the needle” will be tough, but it’s something LSU is capable of achieving.
“From a pure talent perspective, I think there’s certainly enough on the roster,” Borzello said.
