In its second game of the season, LSU once again battled to the end with a team that most would have considered a lesser opponent.
However, for a team with a new head coach and an almost entirely retooled roster, the major takeaway will be the incremental improvements the Tigers make in each game.
From its Wednesday matchup with Kansas City to tonight’s game against Arkansas State, LSU made major strides in its defensive intensity and discipline. The Tigers did a better job of stopping the ball in transition defensively and also didn’t commit many fouls. On Wednesday, Kansas City was given 27 free throws off LSU fouls compared to only four for Arkansas State.
Still, the game was tight well into the second half. With nearly 10 minutes left in the game, an Arkansas State layup cut its deficit to only two points, with the score standing at 45-43.
From there, LSU went on an 11-0 run and didn’t allow the Red Wolves to score again until there were two minutes left in the game. A three-pointer by KJ Williams put an end to a brief Arkansas State rally to effectively ice the game, making it 59-49 before the final score of 61-52.
“I thought during that stretch our energy was really good. We eliminated some of the self-inflicted wounds that were hurting us, just poor decisions in transition, and we did a better job of screening and getting the ball where it needed to go,” said Head Coach Matt McMahon.
What kept Arkansas State within arm’s reach of LSU was the ineffectiveness of the Tigers’ half court offense in the first half. LSU had difficulty penetrating on drives and there was very little off-ball movement, leading to the Tigers settling for difficult shots in the paint and coughing up turnovers.
By the end of the game, only three players on LSU’s roster scored a field goal: Murray State transfers KJ Williams and Justice Hill and junior guard Adam Miller. Freshman forward Jalen Reed and reserve guard Trae Hannibal also notched points, but those came via free throws. The imbalance in scoring demonstrated LSU’s issue with half court creation and ball movement.
In the second half, LSU came out with much more intentionality on offense. The off-ball movement seemed more purposeful, and screens were being set with precision and force. Even though LSU shot a field goal percentage of 36% in the second half compared to 41% in the first, the process by which it generated shots was much more effective. The looks the Tigers were creating were better and put the players in position to make easier shots.
“We kind of sped ourselves up and obviously Coach recognized that,” Hill said regarding the first half offensive struggles. “Just not trying to play too fast, coming in and slowing the game down, getting a good shot every time. Usually when we run our sets, we get the shots we want.”
“At the end of the first half, I noticed they had troubles guarding off-ball screens, especially when I set a screen and then I came off a screen, or KJ coming off an off-ball screen, so I told Coach heading into halftime. We got better shots. I think we had a better half that second half. It worked once we ran what we had to run,” Miller said.
In addition to the improved offensive scheme execution in the second half, LSU was able to pull out the win thanks to fantastic efforts by Williams and Miller. Despite two early fouls that limited Williams to five minutes in the first half, he finished with 15 points and three timely three-pointers. Miller was there when needed consistently, playing 39 of the game’s 40 minutes and making nine of his 15 shots for 26 points, just below his career high of 28.
“Tonight I think our forwards especially did a great job of screening for [Miller] and freeing him up, and Ace doesn’t need much time or space to get a shot off. I thought he did a really good job reading screens today. He curled a couple, got all the way to the rim for finishes. I thought he was just incredibly efficient offensively for us,” McMahon said.
LSU has a lot going for it at this point in the season. The defensive effort that was shown will keep them competitive in a lot of games, and the Tigers have also demonstrated an ability to shoot from distance at a high level, making 16 of their 41 attempts from three so far this season for a 39% shooting percentage.
However, the level of success the Tigers have this season will likely come down to how well they can manufacture points in running their half court offense. If Saturday’s game is any indication, LSU has work to do in perfecting the consistency with which it runs its system, but it’s clear that it has the capability to be a dangerous team with their level of talent.
