LSU Tigers (6-4, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) vs. American University Eagles (2-8, 0-0 Patriot League)
When/Where: 7:00 p.m. at Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Television: SEC Network
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
Things to watch for:
Princeton education: Statistically speaking, American isn’t a prolific offense by any means. But the Eagles do offer a vastly different look than anything LSU has seen this season, according to coach Johnny Jones. American runs a Princeton offense under coach Mike Brennan, who is an alum of the Ivy League school and former assistant of the basketball program. Typically, the Princeton offense involves sustained movement from four perimeter players with one true frontcourt player, highlighted by a high number of passes and screens. Shots are usually created from backdoor cuts when defenses are lulled to sleep by the offense’s patience. Much like the discipline required of the Eagles’ offense, the LSU defense must be equally discipline, especially away from the ball. If American can slow the game down, preventing the Tigers from transition opportunities, this game could be much closer than Jones and LSU would like it to be.
Staying locked in: One of Jones’ most important messages to his team entering this game is staying mentally locked in before the Christmas break. He warned of some players anticipating their return home and having time away from the practice floor, affecting their performance in the final game before the holiday. With a crucial non-conference game against Wake Forest on Dec. 29, the Tigers don’t want to derail any momentum with a subpar outing against the Eagles. LSU has a realistic chance of starting SEC play on four-game winning streak and maintaining an unbeaten record at home, but a sound performance Tuesday night is just as important as the one against the Demon Deacons.
Injury bug: LSU thought it would be finally at full strength once senior guard Keith Hornsby and sophomore forward Craig Victor became available. As those two players returned, another guard and post player were sidelined, and it’s worse than expected for one player. Junior forward Brian Bridgewater and sophomore guard Jalyn Patterson will miss their second and third games, respectively, on Tuesday night. In fact, Bridgewater will miss at least a month after having a knee procedure on Monday. Despite still being out at practice, Jones is hopeful Patterson will be back by the Wake Forest game. While neither of those injuries should play a huge role against American, it does give players like sophomore forward Aaron Epps, sophomore center Elbert Robinson III and junior center Darcy Malone increased minutes in the frontcourt. The same should be the case for freshman guard Brandon Sampson and senior guard Josh Gray in the backcourt.
See how Ben Simmons’ first 10 games compare to other NBA No. 1 overall draft picks.
LSU’s last game: The Tigers led by as many as 24 points in the first half and didn’t allow Oral Roberts to get within double digits in the second half as they breezed past the Golden Eagles, 100-77, on Dec. 19. Freshman forward Ben Simmons scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go with nine rebounds and seven assists. Simmons did most his damage in the second half, but the Tigers were balanced offensively in the first half with ten different players contributing on offense. In total, four other Tigers finished in double figures while five players had at least five rebounds in a game LSU never trailed.
American’s last game: Despite leading at halftime and shooting 58 percent in the second half, the Eagles dropped their third straight game in a 79-64 home loss to Maryland Eastern Shore. American assisted on 20-of-25 made baskets while shooting 7-of-17 from three-point territory, but it had no answer for UMES guard Devin Martin, who poured in a game-high 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting. The Eagles also turned it over 21 times, leading to 39 UMES points off turnovers.
LSU’s possible starters (based on last game):
G Tim Quarterman (Jr.): 13.6 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 3.7 apg.
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr.): 11.5 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 1.3 apg.
G Keith Hornsby (Sr.): 19.7 ppg., 3.0 rpg., 3.0 apg.
F Ben Simmons (Fr.): 18.7 ppg., 13.9 rpg., 5.8 apg.
F Craig Victor (So.): 11.5 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 0.0 apg.
LSU’s top reserves:
G Josh Gray (Sr.): 8.4 ppg., 2.7 rpg., 2.1 apg.
G Brandon Sampson (Fr.): 8.0 ppg., 2.1 rpg., 1.4 apg.
F Aaron Epps (So.) 6.3 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 0.6 apg
C Elbert Robinson (So.): 4.9 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 0.3 apg.
American’s possible starters (based on last game):
G Delante Jones (Fr.): 8.6 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 1.6 apg.
G Charlie Jones (Jr.): 4.3 ppg., 3.2 rpg., 1.3 apg.
G James Washington (Fr.): 7.8 ppg. 1.4 rpg. 1.2 apg.
F Jesse Reed (Sr.): 11.4 ppg. 4.3 rpg. 1. apg.
C Paris Maragkos (Jr.): 1.4 ppg. 1.8 rpg., 1.4 apg.
