Defending Turner key for LSU

Texas A&M senior guard Elston Turner has paced the Aggies with 18 points per game this season and is tied for second in scoring average in the Southeastern Conference.

But LSU held Turner to a meager five points in its 58-54 win against the Aggies on Jan. 23, and a similar defensive performance may be imperative for an LSU win as it travels Wednesday to College Station.

“He had a tough shooting night here,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “He will definitely come out looking to shoot and make some shots in this game on Wednesday. … Our deal is to hope that we can just contain him, slow him down a little bit.”

Tigers jockeying for tournament seeding

If the season were to end today, LSU would be the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament, which would slate it to play in the first game on Thursday, the second day of the tournament.

But games against Texas A&M and Ole Miss during the final week of the regular season will challenge the Tigers as they try to maintain their first-round bye. As long as the Tigers stay at the tenth seed or better, they will not have to play on the first day of the tournament.

“[LSU’s seeding] definitely matters,” said sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III. “Getting that bye on the first day is very helpful.”

Carmouche taking over

Following his season-low three-minute performance against Tennessee two weeks ago, senior guard Charles Carmouche has been lighting up the scoreboard.

Carmouche was one of the heroes of LSU’s triple-overtime victory against Alabama on Feb. 23, as he registered 20 points and 11 rebounds while playing all but one minute of the slugfest.

The senior guard racked up a career-high 26 points as the Tigers defeated Arkansas last Wednesday, and he dropped another 21 in LSU’s loss to Missouri on Saturday.

“He’s been aggressive just doing the things he knows how to do,” said junior guard Andre Stringer. “He’s been playing as hard as he can, not taking plays off, defending on one end and being aggressive on the other end.”