re: Current SEC Kenpom MBB rankings, LSU is 9th in SEC.

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Will Wade was given $10 mil in NIL his first year at NCST. McMahon was given. $2.5 mil.

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I would be willing to bet WW was instrumental in helping raise those funds and that the term "given" very likely does not tell the story correctly.

I get the impression CMM likely has never been very keen on participating in the fund raising process and even if he were I don't get the idea that he would be very good at it even if he was. But at a school like LSU that does not value men's hoops relatively speaking, you just have to - it has to be a pretty big part of what a head coach does.

And will win as many championships as MM.

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Wade was not fired for the investigation. He was fired for telling his employer to go frick itself and refusing to discuss with that employer the investigation that could (and did) result in major risk to that employer.

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While maybe a bit overbroad, this is generally accurate. Wade was not fully cooperative with LSU in the investigation.

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hires his own lawyer, you'd be an idiot to keep him with your company. If he won't even tell you that he didn't do it or that they don't have solid proof, and won't cooperate with your own lawyers, he is obviously trying to screw you to save himself.

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I don't think it is necessary unreasonable that Wade retained his own attorney in response to an investigation of him by his employer. In fact, I would advise anyone in his shoes to do the same. LSU had its own self-interest in the investigation...as they should. Wade had his...as he should. Plus, the fact that the recording came out through a criminal investigation of others NOT Wade or LSU, added another layer of need for legal counsel.

Wade paid players. Only fool believes he didn't. That was and is the nature of major college recruiting. The goal was to at least muddy the waters enough to prevent the NCAA, and to an extent, LSU from reaching any firm conclusions as to that fact.

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If he'd met with them and cooperated with LSU's own response to the investigation, there's no reason to think either he would be fired or that LSU would have been sanctioned

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That's probably not true. Throughout the history it has been shown "cooperating" with the NCAA generally doesn't work in your favor. In fact, Oklahoma St is a prime example. They were being investigated in an ancillary investigation. The fully cooperated with the NCAA. The result? A postseason ban announced literally days before the start of the season. No other team involved in the DOJ investigation (Kansas, Memphis, Louisville, NC State, Arizona, Auburn, etc) received such a harsh sanction. Go watch the press conference with the OSU AD and head coach after the sanctions were handed out. They specifically advised others NOT to cooperate with the NCAA as they did because doing so only hurt them.

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as severely as they were.

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Severe? LSU's sanctions were effectively nothing. Basically, the loss of one scholarship for each of 2 seasons. A "sanction" LSU effectively worked around with NIL.

Outside of the coaches convicted/pled guilty, NO ONE received severe sanctions. Even Wade. He got hit with a mild show cause penalty. So "severe" in fact that he was coaching 2 years later and parlayed that great success back into a power conf. job. The whole episode was a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. In effect, LSU canned Wade to "avoid the death penalty"...by implementing a de facto death penalty by hiring McMahon. The PMAC has resembled a morgue over the last 3 seasons more often than an SEC basketball arena.

Regardless, despite all that happened, LSU DID have an opportunity to hire Wade back at the end of last season. Tate and Woodward emphatically said no because they didn't trust Wade. I understand that. But it also struck the match to lead to their ousters. The same group pushing for Wade to return is the same politically connected group who (a) pushed Tate out and (b) forced Woodward out after the LSU football season went up in flames.

Love him or hate him, Will Wade has been indirectly responsible in forcing out TWO LSU Presidents (F. King and Tate) and TWO ADs (Alleva and Woodward). If nothing else, I guess that speaks to his ability to build relationships with powerful people

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Wade also took over a program two years removed from the Final Four. McMahon inherited a moribund program facing possible draconian sanctions.

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I appreciate the use of two of the most overused and ridiculous adjectives on the board.

That NC State run was a complete fluke. Going into the ACC tournament they weren't making the NCAAT and were planning to fire their HC. Then they unexpectedly won the ACCT and went to the Final Four. The next season they were at the bottom of the ACC again and the school did what they intended to do the year before but couldn't because of a fluke...fire the HC.

The "draconian sanctions" were a joke. McMahon has had time and opportunity to quickly remake this program like so many HCs have done in the NIL era. He hasn't because he wants to operate like this is 2017 at Murray St. The game totally changed and LSU has an HC that either can't or won't fully adjust to the mercenary build a team and flip it nature of today's game. COACHING MATTERS

Look no further than Louisville. In 2022 they hire alum and Kentucky's ace recrutier, Kenny Payne as the HC. He signs a top 25 class in year 1. In year 2 he signs a top 5 class. The results....12-52 (5-35). Louisville was willing to spend the money for players. They just had an AWFUL coach. They then hire a firey HC with a history of success. It took him until January of his first season to match the total wins of the last 2 seasons, combined.

But hey, I continue to admire the efforts of the determined few to continue carry the flag that the awful results of the last 3 seasons have been due to any and every reason except the most glaringly obvious reason...McMahon is just not a good major conf. HC.

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If LSU is currently 40th, that puts them squarely on the bubble right?

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Somewhat laughable to even think about “the bubble” before SEC play starts