In his two meetings against Georgia last season, LSU junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III noticed some Bulldogs standing still.
And who could blame them? The Bulldogs were buoyed by do-it-all guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored at will for the cellar-dwelling Bulldogs and shredded the Tigers for a combined 55 points in the two meetings.
But with the reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year now with the Detroit Pistons, tonight’s 6 p.m. matchup against the Bulldogs (10-10, 4-4 SEC) presents a different dynamic for LSU.
“They’re playing more as a team than rather just giving Pope the ball and getting out the way,” O’Bryant said. “He was such a great scorer that they probably just sat back and watched him do his thing.”
With Athens’ most prolific scorer since Dominique Wilkins gone, O’Bryant and junior guard Anthony Hickey said they noticed Georgia playing more at ease and free in its offense, committing to a more team-oriented mindset on the offensive end.
Winners of four of their last five games, the Tigers (14-6, 5-3 SEC) look to rectify road woes stretching back to December — a run where LSU finds itself just 2-2 in true road games.
In their last two losses at Ole Miss and Alabama, the Tigers struggled out of the gate, made a furious rally and had the ball with a shot to win the game before squandering the opportunity.
“We want to contain guys on defense and hit them first on offense before they hit us,” said LSU freshman forward Jarell Martin. “Give it our best for the first five minutes, then play five minute segments. We have to stay together as a team and close out games.”
It seems the Tigers have solved that puzzle at home, as they raced out to two huge leads before holding off late game rallies in wins against Kentucky and Arkansas.
Coupled with the introduction of a 2-3 zone and efficient shooting from the perimeter, LSU now must take the show on the road, where Tigers’ coach Johnny Jones thinks it’s just a matter of channeling consistency for the team to put it all together.
“We understand what it takes,” Jones said. “It’s just a matter of getting over that hump and making plays down the stretch. We’ve been in that situation at home as well. I think our team knows that our team is capable.”
In Caldwell-Pope’s absence, sophomore guard Charles Mann paces the Bulldog offense, chipping in 13.5 points per game to go along with 2.9 assists per contest.
The Bulldogs have failed to eclipse 70 points in six of their eight SEC games and are tied for 10th in the SEC, averaging 69.3 points per game.
Hickey and Martin agreed the Tigers entered last week’s slate with an underdog, under-the-radar mentality that proved a driving force in the week’s accomplishments.
But now entering a pivotal road stretch with whispers of NCAA Tournament aspirations surrounding them, the Tigers will need to do well on the road to keep tournament hopes alive.
“We’ve protected this house, now we have to go get these other ones,” Hickey said. “We’re closing, finishing games and people are starting to look at us a little differently.”
Jordan Mickey freshman forward
Total blocks: 75
11 blocks in last two games
13.5 points per game, second on the team