“Overrated” chants rang through the LSU student section Saturday in the PMAC after the Tigers’ 66-56 victory over defending national champion and No. 3 University of Florida. LSU men’s basketball coach John Brady jumped atop the media table after the win to thank the 8,159 Tiger fans for their support. It was much-needed support as LSU (15-13, 4-10) came into Saturday’s match in desperate need of a quality win after losing nine of their past 10 games. Junior forward Glen Davis cheered from the end of the bench in a red-carpet-ready pin-striped suit. Davis missed his second consecutive game because of an injured quadricep muscle. LSU held Florida (25-4, 12-2) to a season-low 56 points and limited the Gators to 2-17 from behind the arc. Florida averages 42 percent 3-point shooting for the season. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of our players and our team,” Brady said. “I’ve never said that our spirit was broke or that there was anything wrong with our belief in each other.” Sophomore guard Terry Martin led the Tigers with 18 points, while sophomore guard Garrett Temple added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Temple was only one point shy of tying his career-high of 18 points. Temple said he needed to increase offensive production in the absence of Davis – the Tigers’ leading scorer and rebounder. “It’s a big void to fill,” Temple said. “We knew we had our backs against the wall. This is a team that turns their faces up to adversity. We knew we had to step up and make shots.” Brady said his team disrupted the Gators’ offense by double-teaming junior guard Taurean Green on every ball screen and double-teaming post players. Brady said Temple’s defense against Green “was as good as it gets.” Green averages 13 points a game but scored only six points with 1-7 shooting from the field. Florida coach Billy Donovan said in a post-game news conference that “erratic” offensive shooting and limited defensive stops gave the advantage to LSU. “It was amazing that the leading rebounder on their team and maybe the league-leading rebounder in Glen Davis is not on the floor, and we are out-rebounded by 13 in the game,” Donovan said. Florida out-rebounds their opponents by about eight rebounds per game. Florida junior center Al Horford led the Gators with 13 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward and 2006 Final Four MVP Joakim Noah, who endured chants taunting his personal appearance, scored just four points and grabbed three rebounds in 21 minutes of play. Brady said sophomore forward Magnum Rolle and senior forward Darnell Lazare were undersized “warriors” in containing Horford and Noah, widely considered as one of the best post-player duos in the country. LSU took a 4-2 lead at the 18:34 mark in the first half. It was a lead that LSU never relinquished as the Tigers extended the lead to 28-13 with 6:39 remaining and entered the half with a 34-21 advantage. Brady said it was crucial to maintain focus during the last five minutes of the game. Florida pulled within eight points near the 1:00 mark, but LSU sank 9-12 crucial free throws in the final two minutes to thwart the Gators’ comeback attempt. In LSU’s previous game against the University of Kentucky, the Tigers were tied near the five-minute mark before the Wildcats began a 10-0 run to win the game. “I was trying to do everything I could to challenge our guys in those last five minutes to win the game,” Brady said. “We got upset with each other a little bit, but we all hugged after it was over. I was so emotional talking to them after the game that I couldn’t even finish.” Temple said he does not know when Davis will return to the lineup but said his return will be a welcome addition. “Basically this win shows us that we can play up,” Temple said. “If we add a guy that averages 18 points a game and 10-and-a-half rebounds, we obviously can win games. We’re going to try to win these next two games and make a run in the SEC tournament and try to get in the NCAA tournament. It’s not over for us yet. We’re not dead yet.”
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