After a victory against in-state opponent McNeese State, the LSU men’s basketball team will try to build off that success when it faces the University of Massachusetts tonight.
The Tigers began the season strong with two wins against Gardner-Webb and a talented Texas Tech team, but they struggled at the Paradise Jam tournament in the Virgin Islands, finishing in sixth place after winning against Weber State and losing to both Old Dominion and Clemson.
“We definitely want to go in and get these two victories. Winning against UMass would be good for us. It’s the most important game on our schedule right now,” said sophomore forward Jarell Martin. “We definitely need to focus in on this one, and if we can get the victory and get our momentum going for our trip to West Virginia, that would be big for us.”
When the Tigers played UMass last season, the Minutemen squeaked out a 92-90 win over LSU. Martin hurt his ankle just 33 seconds into the game and didn’t see the court again that night.
“I’ve definitely been anxious to play against them again,” Martin said. “Knowing that I hurt myself on the first play of the game against them last year and we ended up losing, I definitely want to go in and get this victory. It would mean a lot to me.”
The loss of Martin was a big blow to the Tigers, who needed his big presence in a close game against the Minutemen.
“We had an opportunity to win the game last year,” said sophomore forward Jordan Mickey. “I feel like we have a shot of winning the game this year with Jarell fully healthy.”
Now 4-2, the Tigers will have to find a rhythm to overcome the adversity they have faced thus far.
Mickey is emerging as the go-to threat for LSU with 17.8 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game. He’s been on the floor nearly 40 minutes each game and is proving to be one of the Tigers’ most valuable resources.
For UMass, senior center Cady Lalanne is the marquee player so far in the 2014-15 season. He averages 14.9 points per game and was a preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection.
In their game against Manhattan, Lalanne had his best game of the season with 23 points and 16 rebounds. He had another hot start last season but cooled off as the season went along.
“We have to be very active off the ball [to shut down Lalanne], but we also don’t want to gamble too much,” said junior guard Keith Hornsby. “We want to be steady and make sure we are in the right position.”
UMass has three other players who average double-digits per game in guard Derrick Gordon, forward Maxie Esho and guard Trey Davis. The three combine for 38 points per game and 31 steals.
Last season, UMass made the NCAA tournament but fell in the first round to Tennessee. At 5-2 this season, the Minutemen are a strong team and have only lost to Notre Dame and a one-loss Harvard squad on a last-second buzzer beater.
To beat the Minutemen, LSU needs to settle the ball, take smart shots and not force three-pointers. The Tigers are just 25.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, making only 24 of their 94 attempts.
The Tigers also will need to connect on free throws and not throw away easy points.
The Tigers are 75-106, or 70.8 percent on free throws. Last season, they were 66.9 percent from the line. Increasing free throw percentage was an area head coach Johnny Jones emphasized in the preseason and continues to focus on now.
“We just have to take better shots. We need to play inside out and find open men,” said junior guard Josh Gray. “We have a tendency to let teams beat us up and take quick shots, and I feel like we need to move the ball around, get six passes and take great shots.”
Defensively, LSU must shut down Lalanne, Gordon, Esho and Davis and force UMass’ bench to take shots. UMass averages 21.7 points per game off the bench and 55.14 points from the five starters.
Along with shutting down UMass’ leading scorers, LSU will need to focus on controlling the turnover game. The Minutemen average 14.6 turnovers per game while the Tigers average 14.3. The team that controls this likely will control the outcome of the game.
“They’re an extremely athletic team, they have a great big man inside,” Mickey said. “They can shoot the ball well, it’ll be a good game.”