It’s good for a team to be peaking at the end of the season, and it seems like LSU may be doing just that.
LSU put together one of its most complete performances of the season on Saturday to secure a 75-61 win over Vanderbilt.
The Tigers have now won four of their last five games and have made their way up to an even Southeastern Conference record of 8-8.
As LSU makes its final push for postseason play, statements like these are important to show the Tigers have made strides and deserve a spot in a postseason tournament like the National Invitational Tournament.
Against the Commodores, LSU began with a dominant first half and never lost focus. The Tigers made 10 3-pointers as a team, with seven different players hitting from behind the arc.
It was a well-rounded game offensively, led by Jordan Wright with 15 points, Jalen Reed with 13 and three other scorers in double digits.
Defensively, LSU’s effort was on point, including on the boards, where the Tigers were disciplined in boxing out and limiting Vanderbilt’s second opportunities. Though the Commodores missed their fair share of open shots, LSU’s defense made a difference.
Jordan Wright comes up big against his former team
Though Wright faced Vanderbilt earlier in the year in a game in Baton Rouge, dropping 15 points against the coach and team he’d parted with this summer, Saturday’s match was his first time back in Nashville’s Memorial Gymnasium.
“Some really good memories there. Coach Stackhouse gave me a chance when not many other high-major schools did,” Wright said earlier in the week. “It’s gonna be a surreal moment for me.”
From the beginning, Wright was aggressive. Within the first seven minutes, he had eight points and was driving to the rim with force.
As he’s done all season, Wright forced the issue and put himself in a position to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. He attempted and made four free throws, with two coming on and-one opportunities.
In the arena that was his home for four years, Wright led LSU to a comfortable victory and set the tone.
LSU learning to be a frontrunner
LSU has made many comebacks this season, but it has seldom been on the other end of a rally. Building a big lead is one thing, but maintaining aggressiveness and keeping your foot on the gas is more difficult than is often given credit. It requires a much different mindset.
It’s something a young team has to learn, and LSU is still working it out. In November while LSU was at the Charleston Classic, the Tigers blew a 15-point lead in a loss to Dayton and lost a 14-point lead to Wake Forest, though they eventually won in overtime.
Since then, LSU hasn’t had many opportunities to hone the skill of maintaining a comfortable lead against a solid team. In Saturday’s match against Georgia, the Tigers held a 15-point lead before allowing the Bulldogs to storm back into it, with the result a razor-thin one-point victory.
The very next game against Vanderbilt, LSU was in a similar situation. The Tigers led by as many as 17 before Vanderbilt began to put things together and drew as close as 10 on two occasions.
However, LSU kept its energy and didn’t lose its composure. In the end, the Tigers ended up expanding the lead back up to 18 with less than two minutes remaining before the final inconsequential moments.
In doing so, LSU showed progress, an important thing for a team that, even at this point in the season, is still establishing how to play together and setting the foundation for success.
What’s next?
LSU will head to Fayetteville on Wednesday to take on Arkansas in the penultimate game of the regular season. In the first matchup between the two teams in Baton Rouge on Feb. 3, the Tigers secured a 21-point victory, their largest margin of victory in SEC play.
Since that game, the Razorbacks have wins over Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri and narrowly lost to Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Even with any postseason hopes gone, Arkansas is still fighting and giving good teams a scare. LSU would be unwise to underestimate the Razorbacks.
In Arkansas’ last three games, senior guard Khalif Battle has put up absurd numbers with games of 42, 36 and 34 points. The Tigers will need to contain him and keep him off the foul line, as he’s earned more than 14 free throw attempts in each of those games.
