Kevin Nickelberry admits distractions made difference for LSU in first-round loss

The LSU Tigers have dealt with a lot over recent weeks. Ahead of the start of the NCAA Tournament, LSU fired head coach Will Wade and named Kevin Nickelberry as the Tigers interim head coach for the postseason. With a lot of distractions facing LSU, the Tigers lost in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round against Iowa State.

Nickelberry was hoping that the distractions wouldn’t have an impact on LSU during the tournament, but after the Tigers loss, he admitted that they played a role in the game.

“First of all, I would like to obviously thank these players for dealing with a tough week and coming out and fighting an entire game,” Nickelberry said after LSU’s loss in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round. “We had — the last one gave us a chance to get a win and we were in the game till the end. So I know to the normal person — I said all week it’s just basketball, but the distractions were a lot and these guys still fought through those distractions, went out and gave LSU a chance to win tonight.”

Sixth-seeded LSU scored just 19 points in the first half against No. 11 seed Iowa State, trailing 24-19 at the break. The Tigers scored 35 second half points, but it wasn’t enough to prevail against the Cyclones. Now, Iowa State moves onto the Round of 32 to face off against Wisconsin, the third seed in the Midwest Region.

Nickelberry hoped that LSU could overcome the distractions in the tournament

Prior to LSU’s opening game in the NCAA Tournament, Nickelberry said that he was hoping the distractions from Wade’s dismissal wouldn’t follow the Tigers onto the court. Unfortunately for him, they appeared to do so. And now LSU’s season is over.

“This is easy for us,” Nickelberry said prior to LSU’s first tournament game. “Basketball is what we do. It’s been a tough couple of days, but at the end of the day, you’re asking us to go out and play basketball. We’ve been very successful this year playing basketball. So I’m excited. I know the kids are excited. They’ve earned the right to be here. I think they’ll do an unbelievable job of representing the university even in such a unique situation but more importantly a special opportunity.

“Not a lot of teams get to go dance. You’ve got some guys that will get a chance to go to the tournament and play a very talented Iowa State team. We’re going to get prepared like normal. We don’t have to make a lot of changed for a team that’s won a lot of games. This team is going to be ready to play. We’re gonna go out and play with heart, play with passion, but more importantly we’re gonna play for our school.”