As the old saying goes, there’s a time and place for everything. For the LSU men’s basketball looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth in six years, the time is now.
But the place will be out of the ordinary tomorrow.
The Tigers (14-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) continue their conference slate on the road against Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.
Seating more than 14,000 with a raised floor, spacious sidelines and team benches on the baseline, Memorial gives the Commodores (11-7, 1-4 SEC) one of the most distinct home-court advantages in college hoops.
Despite a 1-4 conference mark with road losses to No. 1 Kentucky and then-No. 23 Arkansas, nine of Vandy’s 11 wins came at home and scored an average of 75.5 points in those nine wins. The Commodores also shoot the highest field goal percentage in the SEC.
LSU coach Johnny Jones, who is familiar both playing and coaching at Vandy’s arena, said communication will be a challenge, but the Tigers need to rise to the occasion.

“It’s difficult, and it’s different because you’re sitting there on the baseline,” Jones said. “Where you generally have an opportunity to communicate with your team on the sideline be it defensive or offensive instruction, and communicate with your point guard, they’re away from you the whole time … But you have to do it once a year when it’s your turn to be there, and I’m sure it’s a great home court advantage for them.”
Junior guard Keith Hornsby embraces and plays looser on the road despite heckling from opposing fans. He averages 16.6 points in games away from the PMAC, including a season-high 24 points at UAB. He said he doesn’t expect playing in Nashville to be an issue.
“Personally, I’ve always been fascinated with arenas,” Hornsby said. “I just like that. That’s why I like road games, too, because I like playing in unique places. Obviously, Vanderbilt is one I’ve been aware of since I was in high school. I’ve always called it ‘the concert hall’ venue … I’m aware it’s a little different, but everybody goes in there. It doesn’t seem to make much of a difference to other teams.”

LSU is coming off its most dominant performance in conference play and perhaps of the season in a 79-61 victory against Florida on Tuesday night. The victory ended a six-game losing streak to the Gators.
Despite constant full-court pressure from the Gators, the Tigers shot a blistering 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field, 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the 3-point line and 94.4 percent (17-of-18) from the free throw line. Jones’ club defended the perimeter well, holding the Gators to a 3-of-16 clip from deep, and scored 20 points off 13 Gator turnovers.
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman ran the offense for most of the second half in place of junior guard Josh Gray, who turned the ball over four times. Quarterman was critical in maintaining the Tigers’ second-half lead.
“We couldn’t just go down and force shots,” Quarterman said. “I wanted to calm the tempo down, make sure we ran our offense and get good shots. I think we did that. We spaced the floor, got some screens going, and we got some good looks at the basket. When we did have open shots, we knocked them down.
Jones’ club is preparing for a Vanderbilt team, which attempts to play a mostly half-court offense in contrast to the Tigers’ up-the-floor style. LSU scored 14 fast break points against Florida.
Jones said discipline will be the key to defense against the Commodores.
“You have to be committed on the defensive end of the floor and be able to defend until [the end] of the clock,” Jones said. “You have to be discipline in terms of staying down. They do a great job of reading your defense and then trying to make sure that they react to that … So you certainly have to stay connected and discipline into your principles, making sure you are there on the catch and be willing and prepared to do it the whole game.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR.