LSU men’s basketball will see its first competitive action of the season this morning when it takes on University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. at 10 a.m. during ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon.
The Tigers are coming off a successful exhibition outing against Xavier (N.O), which saw several of head coach Johnny Jones’ highly touted freshmen make their debuts in the PMAC
If Jones keeps the same starting lineup he did for that 80-45 win, it’ll be the first time three freshmen will start in a game since 2006, when Tyrus Thomas, Garrett Temple and Tasmin Mitchell started in the Final Four.
Freshman forward Jarell Martin — the highest ranked of the freshmen coming into the season — had a shaky start against Xavier, but was able to settle in and ultimately finished with 11 points and a block.
“My mindset now is to dominate and do whatever coach wants me to do,” Martin said. “I’ll do whatever I can do for my team to get the victory.”
Fellow freshmen — guard Tim Quarterman and forward Jordan Mickey — will have their hands full against UMass’ two most productive players.
Quarterman will be forced into duty against senior guard Chaz Williams, who scored 20 points on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point territory in UMass’ season opening win against Boston College.
Williams is a two-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection and the 55th first team all-conference selection in UMass school history.
At 6-foot-5, Quarterman has the size advantage on a 5-foot-9 Williams, but Williams is quicker, which can be an asset with the new hand-checking rules in college basketball.
“We can always put a smaller guy on him, or they could just put a bigger guard out there for us,” Jones joked.
But the big matchup is on the block.
UMass’ Cady Lalanne posted a double-double in the Minuteman’s first game, with a team-leading 27-point, 12-rebound performance.
Lalanne sports a 6-foot-10, 253 pound frame and will pose a challenge for LSU.
The UMass big man grabbed eight offensive rebounds — part of the teams’ 20-to-9 advantage in the category — which led to 30 second-chance points on the night.
Rebounding was an issue for the Tigers in the win against Xavier, giving up 21 offensive boards to the Gold Rush and losing the battle for second-chance points.
“We just have to focus and keep a conscious effort to box out on every possession and finish the plays off,” Mickey said.
Junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III and Mickey will be asked to do most of the heavy lifting defensively in the early parts of the game.
O’Bryant — who Jones said bulked up to around 260 pounds to start the season — is the natural matchup for Lalanne, but Mickey will play a pivotal role in slowing down the productive big man.
Mickey led the team in blocks against the Gold Rush, swatting away eight shots on the night, and though he gives up two inches to Lalanne, he matches his 7-foot-3 wingspan. Mickey’s timing on his help defense could go a long way in keeping O’Bryant out of early foul trouble.
With the early start to the game, the Tigers have begun practicing earlier in the day to try to prepare for the challenges of a morning matchup in a hostile environment, Jones said.
“You’ve got to get your mind right the day before,” Mickey said. “You’ve actually got to prepare for games three or four days in advance, getting some sleep and staying hydrated. We’ve just got to get our bodies and minds right.”