Welcome everyone to the return of #3OT! For those who didn’t see it last season, throughout conference play I’ll be breaking down what went right and what went wrong for the LSU Tigers. So on the eve of their first SEC matchup, let’s take a look at how the Tigers have done and how that might shape how the rest of the season goes.
1st OT: Looking Slightly Better Post-Simmons
When college basketball fans look back at the biggest missed opportunities in the last 10-15 years, last season for LSU will be towards the top of people’s lists. You have a surefire #1 draft pick in Ben Simmons alongside solid veteran players like Keith Hornsby and they went 12-8 in conference play and didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. They outright refused to play in the NIT after they had been blown out by Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. It was a big blemish on the program and really put head coach Johnny Jones on the hot seat. This season is what most fans have expected with a solid start, going 8-3 without any losses to a lesser team like a College of Charleston squad. This team still does have issues, but when four of your regular starters are averaging double figures some of those issues can be overlooked.
2nd OT: Two Big Losses Aren’t a Good Look
You look at two of their three losses closely; it could be a sign of things to come when they take on some of the top tier teams like Kentucky or Texas A&M. Just looking at their most recent game against Wake Forest last Thursday, you can see a ton of cracks in their game. They allowed a lot of uncontested three-pointers and couldn’t get things going to try and shrink the gap. It was a mixture of bad coaching in terms of not subbing out players when needed and having a poor offensive effort that led to a 30 point loss to the Demon Deacons.
3rd OT: Favorable SEC Schedule
When you compare the schedule that the Tigers had last season to this season, it seems to be a lot more favorable. For starters, you don’t have to take on Florida and Kentucky twice this season. That could make for an easier second half of the season, especially when you look at the first few games on the schedule. You have a middle of the road team in Vanderbilt, a bad Mizzou team and a Mississippi State team that had a surprising loss against East Tennessee State to start the conference slate. There are some tough teams on the schedule, but without having to face two of the better teams in the conference is a lot better for LSU when it comes what their record could be at the end of the season.
-Clint Domingue