By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
If there was an NCAA Transfer Portal Draft by conference, the LSU basketball team might be tanking on Wednesday night at Ole Miss to get the first pick.
The Tigers (14-13) are in last place in the 16-team Southeastern Conference at 2-12 under fourth-year coach Matt McMahon going into their game at Ole Miss (11-16). The Rebels are in a three-way tie for second-to-last place at 3-11 in the SEC with Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11) and South Carolina (12-15, 3-11) with two weeks left in the regular season.
LSU coach Matt McMahon still recruiting for next season:https://t.co/PGcwmFJqNo
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) February 24, 2026
But there is no such draft, so both teams will likely be playing as if it is for an SEC title of sorts. Maybe something like “SEC Cellar Elimination Wednesday.”
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, where Rebel fans may show up in droves near The Grove in some sort of transfer of hate for football coach Lane Kiffin, who left them for the Tigers after last football season.
LSU is on a five-game losing streak. Its last win was at South Carolina, 92-87 in overtime, on Jan. 31. Its only other league win was on Jan. 17, 78-70, over Missouri, which is in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid at 18-9 and 8-6 in the SEC. The Tigers will have another chance at a win at home against Oklahoma on Saturday (5 p.m., SEC Network). Get your tickets now!
Ole Miss is riding a nine-game losing streak under third-year coach Chris Beard after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 last season before finishing at 24-12, 10-8 in the SEC. Ole Miss last won on the same night LSU did – Jan. 17 – when it won, 68-67, at Mississippi State. The Rebels are also 6-14 overall since Kiffin was introduced on Dec. 1 as LSU’s coach.
So the Tigers have that going for them, and there’s more. The LSU women are 1-0 against Ole Miss since Kiffin arrived at LSU with a 78-70 win at the same arena last Thursday. The Rebels went 0 for 17 from the field in the fourth quarter after leading at the end of the third quarter by 63-54. LSU fans displayed Kiffin cut-outs during the game.
“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity,” McMahon said on his radio show Monday night. “But Ole Miss is a much better team than the record indicates. We’re trying to generate some momentum going into the tournament.”
That would be the SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 11-15. After Ole Miss and Oklahoma, LSU plays at Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) on March 3 before closing the regular season on March 7 against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge.
NOTE: Former LSU forward Corey Chest plays at Ole Miss after transferring from the Tigers following last season. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 2.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14 minutes a game. He averaged 6.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in 20 minutes a game for the Tigers last season.
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