The LSU men’s basketball team didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament this season. It didn’t achieve 20 wins, and it didn’t come close to contending for the Southeastern Conference regular season title.
But the Tigers did plenty of things they haven’t done in three years – they produced a winning record and they qualified for a postseason tournament. The Tigers even saw progress in fieldgoal percentage, where they finished ranked No. 303 out of 345 Division I teams, at 40.5 percent, up from No. 316 last season and No. 314 in 2009-10.
And scoring isn’t the only way LSU has improved.
The Tigers have seen bigger improvements in rebounding than in any other capacity of their game. At the conclusion of the 2010-11 season, LSU ranked No. 186 in Division I with 34.7 rebounds per game.
After this season, the Tigers rank No. 49 in the country with 37 rebounds per game.
That stat will likely only improve in the next season as LSU returns its two leading rebounders in junior center Justin Hamilton and freshman forward Johnny O’Bryant III.
LSU coach Trent Johnson said both players will need to get bigger, stronger and faster during the offseason.
“Those two are going to log a lot of minutes, and they should, because it’s hard to get a player of that caliber and that size to come in and have an impact like they can have,” Johnson said. “There just aren’t a lot of guys out walking around like Justin and Johnny right now out of high school and junior college.”
Johnson said O’Bryant, a four-star recruit in high school, needs to hone his raw talent.
“One of the biggest things he needs to do is he has to learn to take care of the ball, and he will,” Johnson said. “He’s an 18-year-old with a man’s body.”
LSU’s defense held its opponents to their lowest season scoring average against the Tigers since the 2006-07 season, at 64.2 points per game.
The Tigers also specialized in forcing turnovers and minimizing their own turnovers. LSU posted a +1.6 turnover margin, its best since the 2002-03 season.
But while LSU improved its team scoring, sophomore guard Andre Stringer went through a slump, shooting 34.9 percent from the field on the season, while sophomore guard Ralston Turner shot 37 percent from the field.
“You can’t live with it, and I don’t believe [their percentage reflects their talent],” Johnson said. “I think more of it is, quite frankly, them wanting to win so bad that they don’t have a unique ability to relax and say, ‘look, make plays.'”
Johnson said he feels confident that LSU will continue its improvements next season.
“My confidence doesn’t come from the past,” Johnson said. “My confidence comes from what’s in that locker room.”
 
—- Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]