Despite losing preseason All-Southeastern Conference junior forward Tasmin Mitchell in its third game, LSU started this season with moderate success, going 5-3 before the end of the fall semester.
The Tigers’ wins came against Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese State, Chaminade, Nicholls State and Southern. LSU’s three loses were by a total of 10 points. Those setbacks included an overtime loss to Arizona State in the EA Sports Maui Invitational and a one-point road loss to Villanova.
While school was out, things took a turn for the worse as the Tigers’ schedule heated up.
“It’s on now; [the challenging schedule] is what I am looking forward to,” LSU coach John Brady said after winter break’s first game. “If you make a mistake, you will pay for it against the teams we are going to play from now on.”
LSU has managed only one win in six games since Brady’s statement.
1. Northwestern State (Dec. 15)LSU’s game against Northwestern State was its first since blowing a 21-point lead at Villanova on Dec. 6. The Tigers led the way from start to finish behind junior guard Marcus Thornton’s 22 points in the 82-58 victory. LSU managed to roll past the Demons despite being outrebounded 48-34. LSU has not won a rebounding battle since it hosted Southern on Nov. 30.
2. at Wichita State (Dec. 19)The Tigers lost to the Shockers for the second consecutive year. LSU played Wichita State close in the first 20 minutes, trailing 25-22 at halftime. Wichita State went on to beat LSU, 67-47, thanks in large part to a 23-8 run mid-way through the second half. Thornton’s 12 points marked the fewest points an LSU leading scorer had this season. He tied that mark Wednesday in the SEC opener against Mississippi State.
3. Oregon State (Dec. 22)Thornton led the Tigers in scoring for the fourth consecutive game, posting 20 points and hitting six 3-pointers in the home win. Thornton hit his first 3-pointer of the game to put the Tigers on top early, 7-5. After the Beavers tied the game at 7, Thornton responded with back-to-back shots from beyond the arc, and the Tigers never relinquished the lead. LSU’s largest lead of the game was 11 points in the first half, and the Tigers won 67-61.
4. Washington (Dec. 29)LSU’s momentum carried over to the first half of its game against Washington. That momentum came to a halt later in the game as the Tigers went on to lose at home 65-73 despite a balanced scoring attack. Junior center Chris Johnson led the way with 19 points, and Thornton had 18. Junior guard Terry Martin contributed 14 points while Anthony Randolph added 10. The Tigers managed to play their way to a 41-27 halftime lead before the Huskies scored the first 12 points of the second half. After losing the lead, Thornton tied the game at 53 with 8:40 remaining. Both teams would then take turns on scoring runs until the final buzzer, and Washington came out on top.
5. at Tulane (Jan. 2)LSU lost more than just a game in the Tigers’ first contest of 2008. Johnson left the game with a broken right hand. The Tigers’ tallest player and only veteran big man played a large role in the team’s interior defense. LSU led the game with 3:23 remaining but went on to lose 68-63. The Green Wave outperformed or matched the Tigers in every statistical category. LSU does not expect Johnson to return until February.
6. at Texas A&M (Jan. 5)The depleted Tigers dressed only seven players against then-No. 12 Texas A&M. The Aggies took advantage of the Tigers’ early shooting woes and jumped out to a 9-0 lead they would never surrender. LSU again lost every statistical category on the way to its biggest loss of the season, 79-53. The Tigers had fewer healthy players than the number of Aggies who scored in the game, and LSU was outrebounded 40-31 in Johnson’s first missed game.
7. Mississippi State (Jan. 9)Mississippi State held LSU to its lowest offensive output of the season in the SEC opener for both teams. The Bulldogs capitalized on the Tigers’ inability to make open shots, and Mississippi State never trailed. LSU shot 21 percent from the floor and 12 percent from beyond the arc. Once again, the Tigers missed Johnson’s presence as Aggies center Jarvis Varnado tied teammate Jamont Gordon as the game’s leading scorer with 13 points. Varnado added seven blocks and a career-high 17 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ 61-39 win.
8. at Ole Miss (Jan. 12)The Tigers put up a valient effort against No. 16 Ole Miss, but their comeback attempt was unsuccessful in a 74-71 loss. In the second half, LSU hit 46 percent of its shots but connected on only 7-of-15 free-throw attempts. Junior guard Garrett Temple found his shooting touch against the Rebels, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 16 points. LSU has not won a road game since Dec. 17, 2006, against Oregon State.
—-Contact Jerit Roser at [email protected]