When LSU squares off against No. 17 Missouri in the PMAC tonight, sophomore guard Anthony Hickey will have his hands full.
Hickey is used to that, as the national steals leader often has his hands full with the ball. But those steals may be harder to come by when Hickey goes toe-to-toe with Missouri (15-4, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) junior guard Phil Pressey, whose speed and passing ability make him difficult to guard. Pressey’s 136 assists through 19 games ranks him at seventh in the nation with 7.2 assists per contest.
“He’s a smart point guard, too, so I’ve got to try to out-think him,” Hickey said. “It’s just about being who I am and staying under control and playing solid defense.”
Though LSU (10-7, 1-5 SEC) coach Johnny Jones said Hickey is his top choice to guard Pressey, he plans to deploy junior guard Andre Stringer and senior guard Charles Carmouche to slow down the Missouri speedster.
“I think [Pressey] has a real gift in terms of being able to create opportunities for others,” Jones said. “That’s why his assist numbers are up. He understands how to play. He’s one of those really good point guards that can see plays ahead of time.”
Missouri coach Frank Haith said he’s hopeful that senior forward Laurence Bowers will play against LSU after missing the previous five games with a sprained MCL. Bowers is Missouri’s leading scorer with 16.8 points per game.
“It’s going to come down to my confidence and seeing him take a hit,” Haith said at his news conference Monday. “…But I do anticipate him having a shot at [playing].”
Bowers returns to a Missouri squad ranked second in the nation in rebounds with 42.6 per game. Bowers and senior center Alex Oriakhi present a challenge for a rather undersized LSU lineup, and the bulk of that challenge will fall on the shoulders of sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant.
But O’Bryant, who has three consecutive double-doubles, said he won’t do anything different to counteract the physicality of Bowers and Oriakhi.
“We’ve just got to box out and rebound and be physical in the paint,” said O’Bryant. “…For the most part, we need to stay aggressive.”
While Pressey presents a chance for Hickey to live up to his anointing as the new Honey Badger, Missouri gives LSU the opportunity to correct its slow starting woes.
“We’d love to guard against getting out of the gates slow and do a much better job of that,” Jones said. “That’s something that we’ve got to continue to work on, and that’s both ends of the floor. …We’ve got to do a better job of setting the tone instead of letting our opponents do it.”
