Well, it looks like the LSU football team isn’t as good as we thought it was.
Over the course of two weeks, the Tigers’ season imploded, and LSU dropped from No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings like a rock with an anchor attached.
The aspirations of a national championship are gone. An SEC title is out of reach.
The excitement brought by LSU football is dwindling, but another LSU team that plays its home games across the street from Tiger Stadium is picking up the slack.
If you don’t believe me, ask any one of the 11,697 people who went to the PMAC on Friday for the men’s basketball team’s first game, making it the largest crowd at a home opener since a guy named Shaquille O’Neal was playing in purple and gold.
LSU fans, your basketball team is good, and it’s more than capable of making noise through March and into April.
You might think I’m jumping the gun because LSU has only played one game, but I’m willing to stick my neck out.
McNeese State University hardly posed a threat on Friday night in the PMAC. The Cowboys certainly aren’t on the same level as the University of Kentucky, but I’m more focused on what I saw from LSU than I am on the team it was playing.
It starts with the No. 1 freshman in the nation, forward Ben Simmons. The likely No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is unbelievably talented. If you think Leonard Fournette is good, you have to see Simmons in action.
Simmons can play any position on the floor. He can play the point, or he can play in the post.
Here’s a reminder: Guys who can play one through five don’t grow on trees.
Watching Simmons play, it’s evident he understands the game of basketball better than some NBA veterans. Simmons always knows where his teammates are.
He influences every possession, and he almost functions as a second coach on the floor. The ball cannot be in Simmons’ hands enough as far as I’m concerned.
Simmons only took seven shots on Friday, but his fingerprint was all over the hardwood.
LSU’s guard play is going to be as good, if not better, than most teams it faces.
The Tigers have six guards capable of affecting the game. Freshman guards Brandon Sampson and Antonio Blakeney can both score for fun. Those two, along with sophomore Jalyn Patterson, can shoot the cover off the ball.
Junior Tim Quarterman continues to be an all-around threat. He can knock down jump shots, attack the rim and snag rebounds. When senior Keith Hornsby returns, LSU will add another threat at the guard position along with leadership on the floor.
Senior Josh Gray might be LSU’s sixth best guard. That’s some unbelievable depth at the position.
The lack of a true post presence is a little concerning, but that could change if sophomore forward Craig Victor II is able to come in and live up to the hype. If Victor can play at a high level, LSU will be able to give any team a run for its money.
Until Victor is eligible, sophomore center Elbert Robinson III and sophomore forward Aaron Epps look much improved in the early-going of this season. Junior center Darcy Malone can provide some quality minutes for the Tigers’ as well. Even junior forward Brian Bridgewater wasn’t pushed around in the season opener.
Football season may be ending in a bust in Baton Rouge, but basketball season is starting with a bang.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.