LSU vs Missouri Men’s Basketball
January 17, 2026
Post-game quotes
LSU head coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement…
“I’ll start by just saying how proud I am of our team coming off the heartbreaking game earlier this week. I think lesser men would have folded up shop, and I think our guys really responded the right way. I’ve told you from day one, we have great people in our locker room. They’re a really connected group, and I thought you saw that on full display. Not only today in those 40 minutes, but over the last 48 hours. I’m incredibly proud of our players for the response and finding a way to get the win here today.
I appreciate all our fans coming out, not only in support of our players, but the celebration of coach Dale Brown and the 40th anniversary of the 1986 NCAA Final Four team. It was really a special moment in the history of LSU basketball. You had former players fly 30 hours from Serbia to get here. We had players from Germany and Brazil. Everyone was here to celebrate not only Coach Brown, but that special team from 1986. So bottom line from the game, I’m just very thankful and proud of our players and their performance was fantastic today.”
On if the defeats to start SEC play helped the team face adversity today…
“There hadn’t been a ton of them (losses). I think the way the game ended the other night is the challenge, because right or wrong, it’s an obsession. As players and coaches, you put everything you have into it. You want to get the result that you desire, and to not finish the game in that fashion is gut wrenching. So just like anything in life, it comes down to how you are going to respond. Your family is watching; the people you look up to are watching to see how you’re going to respond when the adversity hits. I think that just speaks to our players.
No one wants to hear this part, but we got better this week. Our team improved. We didn’t get the result we wanted in our last game, but we got a lot better and you saw that today. We’ve been turning the ball over too much (in recent games). We only had seven turnovers today and won the turnover battle by five for the first time in league play. We had 16 offensive rebounds and won the glass. We did a good job, even though it was some long possessions, against the zone and people were probably getting anxious. It allowed us to control the tempo of the game, and our guys made 10 three pointers at 39%. I thought we just got better as a team this week, and I was happy for our player to get the result that they desired here today.
On the performance of his front court today…
“I’m really proud of Mike (Nwoko). He had a tremendous impact on this game today, even though he had four fouls and he didn’t get the minutes we would have liked; I believe it was like 12 and a half minutes. But he had eight rebounds, with five of them being offensive. When he was on the floor, we outscored Missouri by 13. I thought he had a huge, huge impact in the game. Then there’s Robert Miller III, he just keeps getting better. He’s been fantastic; his offensive efficiency numbers in the league are off the charts. He’s been an elite defender for a long time. Coming into the game today, he was leading the SEC in block percentage. He’s top 10 in offensive rebounding rate and top 20 in defensive rebounding rate. I thought both of those guys were terrific. Marquel Sutton was incredible. He got us off to the great start in the first half with, I believe he had 19 points at the half and then made some big plays down the stretch and got to the free throw line 14 times to finish with 26 points. Pablo (Tamba) made some winning plays down the stretch as well. I could go down the line, but I’m really proud of our front court.
LSU Guard Max Mackinnon
On how the team got the win…
“I think we showed maturity, being an older group. It’s great to get the win, and we’re going to keep the momentum going into Florida.
On his success scoring the ball tonight…
“I trust my work. If you look at me, you’ll see I’m a pasty white guy. I won’t beat you off the dribble. I feel like I got the best first step though, and I’m trying to play off two feet more. I trust my work.”
LSU Forward Marquel Sutton
On how the team got the win…
“It feels amazing to get a win, our first SEC win, especially how we bounced back from the last game. I thought we were composed and didn’t let the last game affect us. We played together for 40 minutes.
On correcting mistakes since the Kentucky loss…
“We learned from our mistakes. In the Kentucky game, we didn’t do very well down the stretch. We watched a lot of film, talked about it a lot the last few days, and put it behind us. We went out there today and executed what coach gave us.”
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Missouri Head Coach Dennis Gates
Opening Statement…
“Well great win for LSU. I thought they did tremendous job battling throughout the game. They made a big play after a big play. When we cut the lead, they put themselves in a great position to hold it. Our second chance that we gave away was obviously the major indicator in the game when you look at it. Other parts of it being able to take care of the basketball and very stingy defense. We left a total of let’s say 10+ assists on the board. Just not being able to knock down open shots early and I credit that not just because we missed them, but LSU forced us to miss. Great job. Great win for LSU.”
Did you feel LSU started out playing with desperation like they didn’t have a SEC win yet…?
“I would not say desperation. This league is tough. This league is a very difficult league. I look at they executed it; they were able to defend at a high level which they have done throughout the year; they have been consistent. The other part is that they have just been on the other side of some losses that should have easily gone a different way. We have dealt with injuries as well and that’s what they are going through and not full or not at 100 percent so when that happens at that position, you have guys that are having to adjust. Jalen Reece has done a great job in his minutes of back-up point and being able to fill in. Also, their other players, credit the team and their response and what they have been able to do. Credit their coaching staff did a great job. This league is tough this is a tough league. You got to take care of the home court, and they let one slip away in seconds. They could have very well had two back-to-back wins but that last win coming in against us but the previous before that against Kentucky they let that one slip away.”