LSU will finish the final leg of a difficult spat in its schedule Saturday, and it’s the big one.
Kentucky (20-1) will bring its fresh No. 1 ranking to the PMAC against an LSU squad (12-8) coming off consecutive losses to ranked Southeastern Conference opponents.
But the Tigers are treating the No. 1 ranking as if it’s an elephant in the room, following LSU coach Trent Johnson’s personal motto not to treat any team differently than the next.
“I understand they’re No. 1 and all that, and they’re the most talented team we could play this year,” Johnson said. “But what this thing is about is competing at a high level all the time and not treating anybody any different.”
It’s a noble concept — especially when playing a team you’re expecting to beat — but it would be hard for the Tigers to look past the Wildcats’ bevy of talent.
“We all know they can shoot from every position,” said sophomore guard Andre Stringer. “Our ability to play defense on all five will [determine] whether we’re
going to be there in the end.”
Six Kentucky players are averaging double digits this season, paving the way for an offense that is averaging 78.4 points per game — the second-best mark in the SEC.
Sophomore guard Doron Lamb is leading the charge at 13.7 points per game.
Of those six, five are underclassmen — which Johnson said is a tribute to Kentucky coach John Calipari’s recruiting ability.
“There are no weaknesses,” Johnson said about Kentucky’s roster. “From an individual talent level — I chuckle at this — the national experts say [freshman guard
Marquis] Teague is their weakness.”
Johnson paused to let that piece of information sink in and let out a low laugh.
“Really?” Johnson asked. “Teague’s going to play in the NBA in a year or two.”
But for all Kentucky’s talent, it isn’t a perfect team. Johnson referenced their assist-to-turnover ratio, which stands a little better than 1:1.
Not a huge chink in the armor, but enough for Johnson to prove the team isn’t invincible.
“You can defend them, you can be aggressive, you can keep them in front of you,” Johnson said. “They’ve shown at times they can give [the ball] up, too.”
The Tigers took a different approach in their loss to Mississippi State, bringing sophomore Stringer’s scoring punch off the bench for just the second time this season.
Stringer’s play made the decision look like the right one, as he scored 17 points in 25 minutes in the 76-71 loss.
“I don’t have a problem coming off the bench,” Stringer said. “It doesn’t change my approach coming into the game. It didn’t bother me.”
If the Tigers can pull an upset, they will be one of several underdogs to topple a highly-ranked team, after four of last week’s
top-five teams lost games.
Syracuse relinquished the No. 1 ranking to Kentucky this week after losing its first game of the season to an 11-8 Notre Dame team.
Fellow top-5 teams Missouri and Duke also dropped games to unranked opponents in the last week. And after rising as high as No. 3, Baylor lost two consecutive games to conference foes.
But Johnson said he does not expect Kentucky to overlook LSU because of its record. He knows Calipari will have his team better prepared than that.
If LSU wants to win, they’re going to have to earn it.
“They play hard,” Johnson said. “They take no prisoners.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at
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