A break in the schedule couldn’t come at a better time for the LSU men’s basketball team.
Coming off a lopsided 74-50 loss against No. 1 Kentucky last Saturday, the Tigers have no mid-week game, giving them a week to prepare for a crucial home game Saturday against Arkansas.
Saturday’s shellacking was the figurative cherry on top of a disastrous month for LSU.
The Tigers (12-9, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) entered the month with a 10-3 record, riding a seven-game winning streak and poised to make a push for the NCAA Tournament.
Four weeks later, even LSU’s National Invitational Tournament hopes are on the ropes.
“We had an up-and-down January,” said Tiger junior center Justin Hamilton, who averaged 16.8 points per game in the month. “We grew as a team. We knew this would be a tough stretch. Now we just need to focus on being ready for Arkansas.”
That team growth was hindered by the most brutal SEC stretch in recent LSU history.
After falling to No. 23 Virginia in their final non-conference game, the Tigers faced road games at No. 25 Alabama, No. 16 Mississippi State, Arkansas and No. 15 Florida. Only Arkansas was unranked at tip-off, but the Razorbacks are undefeated at home.
“Have you looked at their beginning schedule?” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after Saturday’s game of LSU’s rigorous month. “They played four games on the road in the SEC and came back at home against us. If I’m [LSU coach] Trent Johnson, I’m asking, ‘Why me?’ That’s as tough as it gets in our league.”
The Tigers only beat Ole Miss and Auburn since the calendar turned to 2012. Both games were at home, and it took LSU overtime to overcome Auburn.
But LSU’s woes stretched beyond simple strength of schedule.
The Tigers’ inability to consistently stretch the floor with perimeter shooting often left Hamilton and senior forward Storm Warren facing double teams in the post.
Sophomore guard Ralston Turner is mired in the longest shooting slump of his career. The reigning SEC All-Freshman selection shot just 28 percent from the field during the month, averaging eight points per game while reaching double digits just once.
Fellow sophomore Andre Stringer wasn’t much better, as the diminutive shooting guard went 9-of-33 behind the arc in January, and he was removed from the starting lineup for the last two games.
Freshman forward Johnny O’Bryant III missed the majority of the month with a fractured left hand, but showed promise with a 12-point outing in his return to action against the Wildcats.
Johnson said he was less concerned with his team’s cold shooting and changing personnel, instead focusing on its competitive desire — or lack thereof.
“[The Kentucky game] was the first time I have seen this team stop fighting and playing hard during a game,” Johnson said following the UK drubbing. “I was disturbed that we stopped competing. It might not have made a difference score-wise, but I would have a better taste in my mouth going forward.”
As the calendar turns to February for the Tigers, they have made at least one believer.
“LSU should go on a run,” Calipari said. “They play a lot of young guys who will only get better, have beat Marquette at home and will beat more teams [in the PMAC]. That’s a quality team.”
Johnson said he is happy for the year’s first month to be in his rearview.
“It was a hard month to take as a coach,” Johnson said. “What I like about February is the opportunity to bounce back. If we’re as good as we think we are, we’ll get it done over the next month.”
 
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]