It’s been 36 months since the LSU men’s basketball team last saw postseason action. The Tigers (18-14, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) might be far removed from that heartbreaking, competitive second-round loss to national champion North Carolina in March 2009, but tonight’s National Invitational Tournament first-round matchup at Oregon is also a far cry from the doldrums of the past two seasons’ 20-loss campaigns. “We’re excited about receiving the invitation,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “The NIT is a very prestigious tournament and has a long history of outstanding teams and players.” The trip to Eugene, Ore., to face the No. 3-seeded Ducks (22-9, 13-5 Pac 12) also marks a regional homecoming for Johnson, who played at Boise State and coached at Nevada and Stanford. LSU, the No. 6 seed in top-seeded Washington’s region, ended its regular season with mixed results. The Tigers dropped their final three SEC games in ugly fashion before responding with marked improvement in a win against Arkansas and a tough loss to No. 1 Kentucky in the SEC Tournament last weekend. “Hopefully, we’ll continue to build off the SEC Tournament moving forward,” Johnson said. “We’re playing a very good Oregon team. It’s a steep challenge, but I know our guys are excited about the opportunity.” The Ducks have been an especially steep challenge this season inside the kooky confines of Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon, who finished second in the Pac-12, is 15-3 this season on the arena’s uniquely distracting forested hardwood design, and is averaging 74 points per game at home. LSU will enter said raucous environment - where Oregon students get in free tonight - as one of the worst major-conference road teams who earned a postseason berth. The Tigers went just 1-7 this season in SEC road games, and the losing margin in six of those losses was at least nine points. Devoe Joseph, a dynamic 6-foot-4 senior guard, leads an experienced Ducks’ backcourt and is averaging 16.6 points per game. Junior small forward E.J. Singler might be Oregon’s most versatile player, as he crashes the boards to the tune of 5.5 rebounds per game while also displaying a streaky outside shot for 13.1 points per game. Sharpshooting senior guard Garrett Sim averages 12.2 points per game, and Baton Rouge native and senior forward Jeremy Jacob adds a tough rebounding presence and five points per contest. “We went to work immediately [after the game was announced Sunday night] preparing for their offense, which is a dangerous unit,” Johnson said. LSU and Oregon both went 0-2 this season against common opponents in Virginia and Vanderbilt. The Ducks were considered a prime at-large candidate in a weak Pac-12 season before falling, 63-62, to eventual tournament champion Colorado in the quarterfinals of last week’s conference tournament. Oregon’s uptempo style will clash with LSU’s rugged defense and deliberate offensive mindset. The Tigers are 17-1 on the season when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points in regulation, but averaged only 57 points offensively in their final five games. “It always starts with defense for us,” Johnson said. “Certainly, we need to be more efficient getting the ball in the basket, but Oregon will put pressure on our defensive rotation and rebounding commitment.” The contest is the first ever meeting between the two schools in men’s basketball, and the winner will face the Dayton-Iowa victor in the second round.
 
—- Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]