It hasn’t been the tournament the LSU men’s basketball team hoped it would be, but the Tigers have a chance to end it on a high note when they take on Clemson today.
LSU (3-1) tips off against Clemson (2-2) at 3 p.m., and the winner will take fourth place in the 2014 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
After a 70-61 loss to Old Dominion on Friday in which LSU continued its recent shooting struggles by going 20-of-51 from the field, it rode a huge second half against Weber State on Saturday to put itself back in the win column.
LSU struggled in the first half against Weber State, shooting 38.2 percent but headed into the locker room with a 28-27 lead. The team caught fire in the second half, shooting 61.3 percent in the latter half while outscoring the Wildcats by 13.
LSU dominated the paint, outscoring Weber State 52-26 down low. LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey led the team to victory with his second double-double of the season, tallying 27 points along with 14 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Jarell Martin, who was saddled with first-half foul trouble, snapped his three game double-double streak against Weber State, scoring only 11 points with four rebounds. It was Martin’s lowest point total of the season.
Mickey’s dominant performance and LSU’s big second half will be building blocks for a team that has struggled since its blowout win against Gardner-Webb in the season opener.
Clemson, which lost its first game of the tournament to Gardner-Webb due to a mistaken timeout call, bounced back with a 59-50 win against Nevada on Saturday. Clemson has had its own share of struggles heading into Monday’s matchup, losing games against Winthrop and Gardner-Webb by a combined five points.
The media picked Clemson to finish 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference after the conclusion of ACC Media Days on Oct. 29. While Clemson was picked to finish outside the top 10, the ACC opponent will be a tough test for an LSU team struggling on offense. 
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.