LSU Tigers (5-4 0-0 Southeastern Conference) vs. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (8-4, 0-0 Summit Conference)
When/Where: 1:00 p.m. at Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Television: SEC Network
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
LSU’s last game: Seeking help in the post, LSU found it on the end of its bench. Sophomore forward Craig Victor made his season debut after transferring from Arizona last December. The NCAA’s transfer rules forced Victor to sit out the first eight games of the year. He posted a stat line of 10 points and five rebounds in just 20 minutes. Victor came in off the bench as Elbert Robinson III started for the Tigers next to Ben Simmons, but Robinson only played 9 minutes. Coach Johnny Jones doesn’t reveal his starting lineup until just before tipoff for strategic reasons. Victor may find his way into Jones’ starting lineup. Aaron Epps could also make a case to start alongside Simmons posting a double-double in 18 minutes. Simmons also reached a double-double. The Tigers won the rebounding battle, 54-35, and the game, 78-57.
Oral Roberts’ last game: In the Golden Eagles last contest, they struggled on both sides of the court in an 85-66 loss to Missouri State. Oral Roberts shot 35.9 percent while allowing the Bears to shoot 53.3 percent. Obi Emegano scored 18 points in the game. The Golden Eagles got as close as 11 in the second half, but never any closer.
LSU’s possible starters (based on last game):
G Tim Quarterman (Jr.): 14.1 ppg., 5.13rpg., 3.6 apg.
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr.): 11.4 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 1.3 apg.
G Keith Hornsby (Sr.): 23.0 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 2.5 apg.
F Ben Simmons (Fr.): 18.1 ppg., 14.4 rpg., 5.7 apg.
C Elbert Robinson III (So.): 5.4 ppg., 3.0 rpg.
LSU’s top reserves:
G Josh Gray (Sr.): 8.0 ppg., 2.3 rpg., 2.5 apg.
G Brandon Sampson (Fr.): 8.0 ppg., 2.1 rpg., 1.4 apg.
F Aaron Epps (So.): 6.3 ppg., 3.4 rpg.
F Craig Victor (So.): 10.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg. (season debut versus Gardner-Webb)
Note: Sophomore guard Jalyn Patterson, junior forward Brian Bridgewater and junior forward Brandon Eddlestone did not play in Wednesday’s game. Their status is unknown
Oral Roberts possible starters (based on last game):
G Aaron Anderson (Jr.): 6.4 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 3.7 apg.
G Obi Emegano (Sr.): 23.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 1.7 apg.
G Jalen Bradley (Jr.): 10.3 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 2.8 apg.
F Brandon Conley (Sr.): 8.3 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 1.2 apg
C Albert Owens (So.): 10.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg.
Oral Roberts top reserves:
F Javan White (Fr.): 3.8 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 1.3 apg
G Kris Martin (Fr.): 9.2 ppg., 2.3 rpg.,
F Daquan Jeffries (Fr.): 6.8 ppg., 5.3 rpg.
G Aaron Young (Jr.): 3.5 ppg.,
Things to watch for:
RPI Booster: Many fans look at the Tigers’ matchup with Oral Roberts as a weak part of the schedule. But using RPI, the Golden Eagles are the best team LSU has faced so far this season. Oral Roberts comes in at No. 29, ahead of two Southeastern Conference teams, South Carolina and Texas A&M. Oral Roberts’ rating doesn’t come from quality wins, though it did defeat Tulsa on the road, but instead quality losses. The Golden Eagles have faced South Carolina, New Mexico and Oklahoma all on the road.
Free throws aren’t free: Craig Victor’s debut was a great help for the Tigers in the rebounding column. He also brought toughness to the LSU defense. But the one area he and the rest of the team struggled in was free throw shooting. Victor was 1-10 from the charity stripe while the rest of his team 11-19. If the Tigers hope to win road games especially in conference play, they’ll need to improve on the 41 percent performance from Wednesday.
Avoiding bad losses: With a 5-4 record in non-conference play, the once-ranked Tigers can’t afford another loss to a mid-major opponent. At this point in the season, the Tigers don’t have a significant win to its name with a strength of schedule ranked in the bottom half of the nation. LSU’s next three games are at home, where all five of its wins have occurred, before the start of SEC play, so the Tigers could boost its résumé with a sweep of those games. But LSU certainly can’t get ahead of itself.