LSU was down as many as 26 against No. 6 Tennessee, but the Tigers never gave up. LSU has gotten up from a punch better than anyone this year, and on Wednesday, the team drew as close as eight points in the final minutes.
If you’ve heard that one before, you’re not alone. It feels like a broken record at this point. Wednesday’s comeback was akin to the many that have come close but fallen short this season: against Nicholls State, Kansas State, Texas and Auburn.
Once again, it wasn’t enough. Tennessee held on for an 88-68 win in Knoxville.
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With where the Tigers are as a program, it’s encouraging to see the team display resilience even in matchups where they’re outmatched. They’ve consistently played above their weight class, even if it isn’t producing marquee wins just yet.
Also of interest in Wednesday’s game was star guard Jalen Cook being out with a hamstring issue. Cook was a surprise scratch shortly before the game, despite trying to give it a go in pregame warmups.
Will Baker and Trae Hannibal keep rolling
Baker followed up his 25-point performance against Arkansas with another solid night, a good indication that his recent uptick might not be a fluke. Baker was once again comfortable scoring from the post, even if he didn’t unleash a 3-point barrage this time.
Baker had 16 points on the night as well as eight rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end.
He also stayed out of foul trouble, something Baker said has held him back at times from being effective down the stretch of games.
Hannibal was another bright spot. With Cook out, Hannibal played 31 minutes and once again made a difference with his energy. He scored eight points and led the team in rebounds, assists and steals with 11, four and two in each stat.
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He went down in the second half after seeming to hit his head on the hardwood at the end of a drive to the net. A few minutes later, Hannibal was back on the court, giving his trademark effort.
LSU struggles to defend movement
One of the more reliable things about LSU this season has been its defense. Even as its steals average has dropped in conference play, it has been incredibly opportunistic creating turnovers with good hands and clever timing.
The Tigers have also held opponents to a 40.8% field goal percentage, the third-lowest in the SEC and No. 43 in the nation.
However, Tennessee’s offense was more sophisticated than any the Tigers have seen this season. The amount of ball movement and player movement creates a relentless onslaught on an opposing defense.
Players are constantly cutting and running off of screens, which ends up in a number of perplexing plays where a player receives a pass and is astonishingly wide open for a score.
No one exemplifies that approach better than Tennessee’s leader, Dalton Knecht. Knecht transferred this season from Northern Colorado and has immediately become the frontrunner for SEC Player of the Year.
He’s No. 2 in the SEC in points per game with 19.9 and is a blazing 3-point shooter with two made per game on 39.1% shooting. Knecht never stops moving on offense and is adept at curling off screens and evading his defender.
Not coincidentally, Tennessee’s approach was complacent and much more stationary as LSU made its comeback. When the Volunteers got away from what they did best, it allowed the Tigers to close the gap. Still, all around, Tennessee’s offense was predictably dominant.
There aren’t many offenses as good as Tennessee’s, and there aren’t many defenses that have been able to stop the Vols. However, this game showed that LSU may merely be a good defense and not a great one.
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The Tigers need to learn from their mistakes in this game going forward. There have been instances all season of LSU struggling against perimeter movement, resulting in open shots. Against top-flight offenses, LSU needs to have a better answer.
Tennessee is championship-caliber
Perhaps what best illustrates Tennessee’s remarkable depth is that Santiago Vescovi, who was its No. 1 scorer last season and an All-SEC First Team selection, is now the team’s fifth-leading scorer.
From the flamethrowing Knecht to incisive and fiery point guard Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee has skill and scoring punch all around, including a host of players who are willing and ready shooters off the catch.
Again, Tennessee’s offense operates with a level of smoothness and continuous movement that makes it impossible to defend; even if you successfully defend one action, another one follows at a breakneck pace. It’s a professional-level offense.
The Vols aren’t just flashy. They don’t lack at all in the effort department, with the team ranking high in rebounding and defense, where they allow the fourth-lowest opposing shooting percentage in the nation. That was apparent as LSU
Each of Tennessee’s top seven players in terms of minutes are at least in their third year, and five of those have been with the Vols for their entire college career. The team is seasoned, and that impressive experience will come in handy down the line.
There isn’t a weakness to be found with Tennessee. That’s why the team steamrolled the SEC’s other two top teams, Kentucky and Alabama, and it’s why it’s likely to make a deep run in March.
What’s next?
LSU gets no break going forward, as its next game is against No. 16 Alabama on Saturday at 11 a.m. Less than two weeks ago, the Crimson Tide beat LSU by 21 points in Tuscaloosa, but the game was tight until the second half.
There’s a possibility the result looks different in front of a friendly crowd at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but it won’t be easy. Alabama is yet another high-octane offense, so the Tigers’ defensive effort will need to be improved from Wednesday.
Alabama will also be coming off a loss, having fallen to No. 12 Auburn on Wednesday.
There’s no word yet on if Cook will be available for that matchup, but LSU’s other inactives, Carlos Stewart and Daimion Collins, will most likely still be out with their respective injuries.
