Along with many of its Southeastern Conference counterparts, LSU spent Selection Sunday waiting with bated breath as bids to various postseason tournaments were unveiled.
Like most of their comrades, the Tigers (19-12, 10-10 SEC) were dealt disappointment as it was revealed they had not earned an at-large selection to the NIT during a selection show on ESPNU.
Only six SEC teams were represented in both the NCAA Tournament and NIT fields after a subpar season that left the conference maligned by college basketball pundits.
“We are certainly disappointed that our season has come to an end and that our seniors have played their last game,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones in a news release. “But this will serve as a motivator for our returning players who will start preparing for next season immediately.”
The pickings appeared slim to begin the season after former LSU coach Trent Johnson bolted to TCU one month after LSU’s first-round NIT loss against Oregon.
Compounded by the departure of 7-footer Justin Hamilton to the professional ranks and veteran guard Ralston Turner’s transfer to NC State, Jones molded a team around returning sophomores Anthony Hickey and Johnny O’Bryant III and junior sharpshooter Andre Stringer.
Howard College transfer Shavon Coleman and fifth-year senior guard Charles Carmouche gelled with the returnees quickly as the Tigers stormed out to a 6-0 start – highlighted by overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit in a win against Seton Hall in the SEC/Big East Challenge.
The first six games also saw the emergence of little-used walk-on senior center Andrew Del Piero, who Jones had no qualms about inserting in the starting lineup.
Standing 7-foot-3 and known mostly for his background as a tuba player, Del Piero transformed into a rebounding threat and inside presence, showing improved footwork and conditioning as he started 23 games to alleviate the stress from O’Bryant on the inside.
As promising as the Tigers’ start to the season was, their foray into SEC play couldn’t have gone much worse as LSU spiraled to an 0-4 start behind late-game inconsistencies and offensive problems against a zone.
But, playing in the relentless style of its first-year coach, LSU rallied to rip off nine wins in its last 14 games, most notably a Jan. 30 upset of then-No. 17 Missouri in the PMAC and a heart-stopping 97-94 triple-overtime victory against Alabama on Feb. 23.
Jockeying for a possible NIT berth, the Tigers entered the SEC Tournament in Nashville as the No. 9 seed and pulled off a win in the second round, withstanding SEC Player of the Year Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 32-point outing to defeat No. 8 seed Georgia 68-63.
The luck would end there as the Tigers ran into a buzzsaw against No. 13 Florida in the quarterfinals, losing its final game of the season 80-58 as the Gators controlled every facet of the game from the opening tip.
Jones’ 19 wins were the second most by a first-year coach in the last 60 years at LSU, and the Tigers’ 9-9 regular season SEC record was the first non-losing mark since the 2008-09 season.
Left with a bitter taste in its mouth after both the Florida shellacking and the NIT snub, LSU will regroup for 2013-14, when it welcomes a nationally ranked recruiting class that includes McDonald’s All-American Jarrell Martin.
“We look forward to continuing to build the LSU basketball program to be able to compete in the future at the highest level,” Jones said.
