Hogs Win + $40 Million Transfer Haul Greases LSU’s Path to Hiring Own Version of Petrino

Plus, Arkansas’ keys to victory over LSU.

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Hogs Win + $40 Million Transfer Haul Greases LSU’s Path to Hiring Own Version of Petrino
Photo Credit: Shreveport-Bossier Journal / Craven Whitlow
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Snowmageddon is imminent as Arkansas basketball approaches its Saturday clash with LSU.

Tipoff was expedited from 7:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. with the forecast in mind. The temperatures may be freezing in Fayetteville, but the Razorbacks have been red hot at home.

No. 20 Arkansas (14-5, 4-2 SEC) has won its last three conference home games – No. 19 Tennessee, South Carolina and No. 15 Vanderbilt – by a combined 70 points. The last time the Hogs were that dominant was 1989, when Nolan Richardson’s squad closed the regular season by beating TCU, Baylor and Houston by a combined 103 points.

Over three decades later, LSU enters this meat grinder with a head coach whose seat is just as hot as the Hogs.

The Tigers entered league play 12-1 with their lone loss coming to No. 19 Texas Tech, but their non-conference strength of schedule was a brittle 292nd in the country, per KenPom. Head coach Matt McMahon’s squad has shattered like fine china in league play, losing five of its first six with only a home win against Missouri to its name.

McMahon is 58-54 in his fourth season in Baton Rouge with a disastrous 15-40 mark in league play. The Tigers have yet to reach the NCAA Tournament under his watch. Athletic director Verge Ausberry was candid on McMahon’s job security – or lack thereof – if LSU doesn’t reach the Big Dance.

“If he doesn’t make it, we’ll have to reevaluate,” Ausberry said before the Kentucky game.

The Bayou Bengals nearly upset Kentucky last week, but squandered an 18-point lead and lost on a buzzer beater.

Arkansas could speed up that process of LSU getting a new coach with a win on Saturday. Yes, last year Hogs dug themselves out of a five games below-.500 hole in SEC play and made the Sweet 16, but this LSU squad is far less talented.

Star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. missed time with a lower leg injury and big man Jalen Reed tore his Achilles in December. The Tigers are tied for last in the league, and another loss could bury their already bleak postseason hopes.

Looking around its athletic department, there’s no reason for a proud program that can boast the likes of Pete Marvich, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Shaquille O’Neal to be this bad at men’s basketball.

LSU in the Fast Lane

The Tigers have been so dreadful on the hardwood that many fans have begun clamoring for the return of head coach Will Wade, who won 63% of his SEC games across five seasons with a Sweet 16 appearance to boot.

Authors

  • Michael Main is a Fayetteville native who, like both of his older brothers, attended the University of Arkansas. Main graduated in 2025 with a double major in journalism and political science and a minor in legal studies. He spent his childhood following the Razorbacks closely and attending as many games as possible, witnessing iconic moments like the Michael Qualls put-back dunk, the Henry Heave and a number of field stormings. Main was a member of the Razorback Marching Band and Hogwild Pep Band, attending every home football and basketball game while he was a student and traveling to San Francisco, Providence, Tampa and elsewhere for postseason play. After freelancing for BoAS for a year and a half, the 22-year-old made the transition to a full-time role as senior writer following his graduation. In his free time, Main is likely spending time outdoors, enjoying the company of friends or feeding his obsession with Liverpool FC and European football as a whole.

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