The LSU men's basketball program has fallen on tough times once again under head coach Matt McMahon. The Tigers find themselves in the cellar of the SEC with a conference record of 2-12 and an overall record of 14-13. Now in his fourth season in Baton Rouge, McMahon's overall record at LSU has fallen to 59-66 (.472), and his SEC record sits at 16-52 (.235).
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Things have gone from bad to worse for the Tigers this season, which has McMahon's job secuirty in serious doubt. In ESPN's latest college basketball coaching carousel guide, the LSU job falls into the category of "jobs that could open."
ESPN has Matt McMahon's seat getting hotter
ESPN's Jeff Borzello cites multiple reasons for LSU's placement in the "jobs that could open" category with McMahon at the helm of the program. Most notably, Borzello points to McMahon's lowly SEC record and lack of NCAA Tournament appearances since taking over in Baton Rouge.
"After a 12-1 start to the season, the Tigers are just 2-12 in SEC play, struggling mightily with star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. sitting out most of conference play because of a foot injury. McMahon hasn't been to the NCAA tournament in four years since arriving at LSU, and he's just 16-52 in the SEC during that time."Jeff Borzello
Borzello also points out the comments from LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry last month. Ausberry told the Baton Rouge Advocate that the Tigers needed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, or he would be forced to "reevaluate."
With just four games to go in the regular season, cries for the program to move on have became even louder. Only 6,701 fans were in attendance at the PMAC on February 10 when LSU hosted No. 21 Arkansas, which shows how fans are feeling about the McMahon era.
McMahon's buyout sits right around $8 million, which puts the LSU athletic department in an interesting spot. Brian Kelly's buyout sits at approximately $54 million, and Lane Kiffin's new contract as Kelly's replacement is worth $91 million. The roster that Kiffin has compiled for 2026 comes with a hefty price tag as well. Furthermore, Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson are also among the highest-paid coaches in their respective sports at LSU.
All of that spending could lead LSU to hold on to McMahon for another season. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next few weeks.