How many times has LSU been to March Madness? The Tigers' NCAA tournament runs explored

As one of the more successful programs in NCAA basketball history, the LSU Tigers have been to March Madness multiple times. As for how they stack up against other ultra-successful hoops programs in the country, read on.

This post focuses on the men's basketball team, though there would be some mentions of the women's squad for comparison's sake. So without further ado, let's begin.

How many times has LSU been to March Madness?

The LSU Tigers have appeared in a total of 24 NCAA tournaments, including consecutive appearances from 1988 to 1993.

While Baton Rouge has produced its share of legendary NBA icons such as Shaquille O'Neal and the indubitable "Pistol" Pete Maravich, they've had bad luck with their March Madness appearances. For all of their postseason berths, the LSU Tigers have won only one title, and even the lone championship is a disputed one, with people arguing whether should count or not.

The aforementioned championship was won way back in the 1934-1935 season when the NCAA didn't even exist. It's also worth noting that while the school claims it, they're doing so "not on the basis of any determination by an external selector or outcome of any contest purporting to determine a national champion" (via the Louisiana Sports Hall).

This means that the LSU Tigers men's basketball team likely has one of the longest, if not the longest, championship droughts in any American team sport, both professional or collegiate (89 years).

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How deep have the LSU Tigers gone in March Madness?

Having never won an "actual" championship, the LSU Tigers men's basketball team has also never been to a national championship game. They've only ever gone as far as the Final Four, doing it a total of four times: in 1953, 1981, 1986, and 2006.

For comparison's sake, the women's squad made it to six final fours (five straight from 2004 to 2008 and then in 2023) and have won the school's first D1 basketball national title since the claimed 1935 championship.

While they completely lack any national championships, the LSU Tigers men's team does make up for it in SEC titles. They have 11 in total, their last win coming in the 2018-2019 season.