LSU head coach Matt McMahon reacts to a three-pointer seconds before halftime against Florida, Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La.

LSU head coach Matt McMahon reacts to a three-pointer seconds before halftime against Florida, Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La.

Considering the season LSU has had, the Tigers have to hope they can at least cause a little madness in March before putting the game uniforms away for the offseason.

Late-game dunks, buzzer-beating 3-point shots, game-saving steals and shocking upsets are what postseason basketball is about — no matter whether it comes in a conference tournament or the Big Dance.

Some of that magic is what Matt McMahon’s team is looking for going into the Southeastern Conference tournament, which begins Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Despite losing 17 of its past 18 games — 16 of them in conference play — No. 14 seed LSU (13-18, 2-16 SEC) will try to extend its season when it meets No. 11 seed Georgia (16-15, 6-12) about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The game will start 25 minutes after the conclusion of the tournament opener between No. 12 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss, which tips off at 6 p.m. Both games will be televised on the SEC Network.

LSU played one of its better defensive games in a 65-63 loss to Georgia in Athens on Feb. 14, but 19 turnovers doomed the Tigers that evening.

McMahon knows there’s only one way to approach the game — regardless of the opponent. Playing loose with nothing to lose is important at this point with no time to make major changes to the offense or defense.

“We all know the turnover issues and some of the things that are shortcomings for us,” said McMahon, knowing erratic field-goal shooting and defensive breakdowns have been major issues. “(The record is) zero and zero.

“We’re going to work at it (in practice), and hopefully, go into tournament play with confidence. Loose is a word — I always want us to play that way — loose and confident.”

LSU has shown some signs of improvement late in the season even though the Tigers have just one win to show for it in 2023. The Tigers have put together some stretches of good play, but there haven’t been enough of them and they disappear almost as quickly as they come.

“When you evaluate it, there have been 20 to 25 minutes of solid to good basketball we’ve been able to play of late,” McMahon said. “Unfortunately, we’ve just been unable to sustain that over an entire 40-minute game.”

It started with the near-miss at Georgia.

All-SEC forward KJ Williams gave his team a 63-62 lead with 11.2 seconds left before the Bulldogs’ Justin Hill threw a shot high off the glass that dropped into the basket with 4.4 seconds to play.

More recently, LSU defeated Vanderbilt, which won 11 games in the league this season and is the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The Tigers also held double-digit leads in its last two games against Missouri and Florida before falling.

“It’s disappointing because you play so well there in stretches, but you'd ask, ‘How do you lose two double-digit leads and games last week?’ ” McMahon said.

A quick glance at the final stats shows LSU committed 29 turnovers in the two games, while Missouri and Florida combined for 15. As a result, the Tigers were outscored 33-6 in points off of turnovers.

Defensive breakdowns in those games also were troubling, but sloppy play with the ball continues to be the primary concern for McMahon.

“Ball security will continue to be a point of emphasis if we want to have a chance Wednesday night,” he said. “We’ve played really well in stretches, but can we sustain that consistency for 40 minutes?

"That continues to be the challenge for us.”

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