| Soooo, that was that. The LSU men's basketball team had hoped to make one last run in the NCAA tournament — for their fans, for themselves, for the coach who was fired amid scandal and turmoil. Instead, the Tigers fell flat in the first round Friday, losing 59-54 to Iowa State in Milwaukee. It was a rough first half for both teams, but it was a little rougher for the Tigers, who managed just 19 points and failed to capitalize on eight first-half rebounds. What happens next? Penalties are likely coming. Will Wade is gone, and many players are likely to follow. LSU, in fact, lost a five-star commitment earlier in the day — but Friday night, at least in the immediate aftermath, Tari Eason wasn’t ready to discuss his future. (Eason had 18 points in the game, and senior Darius Days added 14.) Stay tuned. As for the LSU women … Kim Mulkey and the LSU women’s team begin their tournament run Saturday in the PMAC, a place that hasn’t seen an NCAA tournament home game in eight years. Up first: Jackson State, a team that boasts two Power Five transfers and went undefeated in SWAC play. Our own Scott Rabalais noted that as the tournament begins, Mulkey and LSU have gone from underdog to big dog in just one season together. It’s been quite a ride. Gymnasts are up next, too The LSU gymnasts are not favored to come away with the SEC championship Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama — but hey, you never know. The Tigers go for their fourth SEC title in six years. Scott Rabalais has a handy viewing guide, too: Here are five top gymnasts to watch in Saturday’s meet. Over at Alex Box Stadium … Things were going well enough in LSU’s SEC opener against Texas A&M on Friday, right until they weren’t. A few messy late innings led to an Aggie win in the first game of the series. But the Tigers’ regular No. 1 starter, Blake Money, will take the mound Saturday in a slight (perhaps temporary) shuffling of LSU’s weekend rotation. Here’s how to watch and listen to Saturday night’s game at The Box. FINALLY: HERE’S A GREAT DEAL Baseball, basketball, gymnastics, track, softball, beach volleyball, football … folks, springtime is busy time at LSU. No one covers the Tigers like we do. We will keep you up to date on the latest news on campus (and elsewhere). Our sportswriters are insightful, hard-working and generally nice people (most of the time). Support their work, and stay on top of everything. If you’re not a subscriber, come join us. Thank you for reading. | 