Tipoff may be a little early for some, but at least it’ll be the weekend.
After throttling Ole Miss down the stretch for a much-needed road win, the LSU men’s basketball team continues Southeastern Conference action with an early start against Texas A&M at 11 a.m. Saturday at the PMAC.
On Wednesday night, the Tigers (13-3, 2-1 SEC) overcame a 43-percent shooting night to grind out a 75-71 victory against the Rebels, LSU’s first conference game this season that ended in regulation.
After letting a late eight-point lead slip away at Missouri on Jan. 8, LSU reeled off consecutive SEC victories and won 10 of its last 11 games. The Tigers are now looking for their first three-game conference winning streak since coach Johnny Jones’ first season three years ago.
“We were able to grow from the setback [against Missouri] that we had,” Jones said. “We’re a different team than we were a week and a half ago. Because of that setback, I think our guys have handled it the right way, which has allowed us to have some success.”
Like the Tigers, Texas A&M (10-5, 1-2 SEC) is also coming off of a narrow escape. Despite missing 16 free throws Tuesday, the Aggies fended off a struggling Mississippi State team for a 74-70 victory, their first SEC win of the season.
Junior guard Alex Caruso led Texas A&M with game-highs of 21 points and nine rebounds, but he and the Aggies’ backcourt will be heavily tested against the much-improved play of LSU’s guard tandem of juniors Keith Hornsby and Josh Gray.
Hornsby capped off the Tigers’ defeat of Ole Miss by draining a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining for two of his game-high 23 points. Hornsby also drained a season-high five 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from deep for the first time since Dec. 18 against UAB.
Gray repeatedly slashed through the Rebels’ defense on his way to 14 points and a career-best 10 assists. Gray has averaged 14.5 points and eight assists in his last two games, both of which were LSU wins. He has turned the ball over just five times during that span.
“Those two guys have been excellent for us,” Jones said. “We have balance. We’ve got the play inside [of sophomore forwards Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey], and you know what [sophomore guard] Tim Quarterman is doing.”
After scoring 16 points in LSU’s first two conference games, Martin found his groove against the Rebels with 18 points and 14 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season and first since Dec. 4 against No. 16 West Virginia.
Mickey, despite a glaring 4-for-13 shooting night, chipped in 11 points and 11 boards. The SEC’s leading shot blocker also stuffed six against Ole Miss, which was Mickey’s fifth game in the last seven with at least six blocks.
But the preseason All-SEC duo failed to keep the Rebels off the offensive glass, something LSU has struggled with recently. The Tigers have surrendered 41 offensive boards in the last two games, and opponents have converted those extra opportunities into 41 second-chance points.
“We gave up too many offensive rebounds [against Ole Miss], but the plus side of that is we held them to 35 percent shooting from the field, which gave them a lot of opportunities,” Jones said. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting in there and making that play to get those rebounds, and then you give yourselves a chance to have a wider margin of victory.”
Going against an Aggies club that grabs just 10.9 offensive rebounds per game may help cure some of LSU’s woes on that end. Quarterman said limiting opponents to one shot per possession can help the Tigers race in transition and play the up-tempo style Jones prefers.
“We want one-and-dones,” Quarterman said. “We want to stick with good defense. You stay with good defense for 30 seconds, they shoot a shot, and you get the rebound and go the other way. We’re just focusing on that.”