Merry Christmas, college hoops fans!
After all the hype, predictions and talk, the season is finally upon us. While some teams have already played a game or two, LSU will get its season underway against UMass at 10:00 a.m. today as part of the 24-Hour ESPN Tip-off Marathon.
Every team wants to set the tone for its season by starting off with a victory, but the season-opener is more important for LSU than for most.
Second-year coach Johnny Jones is trying to change the culture of LSU basketball. He’s already created a buzz around the program, but it won’t mean anything if he can’t capitalize by earning a berth into the NCAA Tournament in March.
Jones knows it. His team knows it.
That is what makes winning this opener in Amherst so crucial. Key non-conference victories, especially in a true road environment, look great on a résumé come selection time.
It’s the perfect opportunity. UMass has brand recognition as a tournament program, plays in the respectable Atlantic-10 Conference and has a team good enough to be favored in the game.
The Minutemen have players like center Cady Lalanne and guard Chaz Williams who will give LSU’s defenders problems, especially with so many Tiger freshmen playing in their first collegiate games.
That’s why the situation is perfect. The game is tough enough for LSU to come in as an underdog, but the Tigers can pull out a win if they play well enough.
LSU needs the résumé-builder since the Southeastern Conference is viewed as inferior to the rest of the power conferences. The Tigers could win 12 to 14 SEC games, but if none of them are against Kentucky or Florida, they could theoretically finish the season without a single victory against a team with an RPI better than 50.
Hence why LSU needs to beat UMass. If the game slips away, the schedule doesn’t hold many other opportunities to compensate for a weak SEC with a signature out-of-conference win. And without it, it will be that much easier for the selection committee to leave the Tigers out of the Big Dance.
Their only other chance comes in the Old Spice Classic later this month. LSU opens up with St. Joseph’s and could get a shot at No. 8 Oklahoma State if everything breaks correctly, but if it doesn’t, the Tigers could leave the tournament still lacking a significant win.
The only other game on the schedule against a power-conference team is a Dec. 18 visit to Texas Tech. The name has some cache to it, but considering the Red Raiders were picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams at the Big 12’s Media Day, it’s hard to see that being the win that puts LSU’s résumé over the top.
Jones wants to re-establish LSU as a perennial tournament team. He’s convinced the local media — me included — that the program is on the rise. But this is one of the few chances he’ll have to make his case on a nationally televised stage, and he has to take advantage of it.
So get out of bed and tune in for the early tip. Skip class if necessary. Significant basketball has returned to Baton Rouge for the first time in years.
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communications senior from Beacon, N.Y.