The good times did not roll during Mardi Gras break for the LSU men’s basketball team. The Tigers (14-13, 3-10) dropped two Southeastern Conference contests – a 56-50 home loss Saturday against Mississippi State University and a 70-63 loss Tuesday against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Kentucky loss is the Tigers’ ninth loss in the past 10 games. Eight of the past 10 games have been decided by seven points or less. Without injured junior forward Glen Davis, LSU held a 16-point first-half lead before the Wildcats narrowed the deficit to one before half time. The game was tied near the 5:00 mark in the second half, but Kentucky sparked a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach. LSU coach John Brady said in a post-game interview that the inability to finish games has plagued the Tigers throughout the season. “The bottom line is I haven’t given them what they need to finish a game,” Brady said in a news release. “Last year we won every close game. I’ve never been in this situation. We’ve watched more game film, taught them more than I can ever remember. I’m not saying we don’t have deficiencies, but it’s up to the coach to overcome those deficiencies in situations to help his team.” LSU has fared much worse in close games this season. The Tigers compiled a 2-6 record so far in games decided by five points or less compared to 8-6 in the 2005-2006 season. Davis did not make the trip to Lexington because of a strained quadricep muscle suffered in a 71-67 home win on Feb. 10 against the University of Arkansas, the last win for the Tigers. The reigning SEC Player of the Year reaggravated the muscle in a 71-70 loss to the University of Mississippi but scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the following game Saturday against Mississippi State. “I was really impressed with LSU, especially without Glen Davis,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said in a statement. “They were able to execute and get things done the way they wanted to get them done.” Officials charged Brady with a technical foul for arguing a five-second violation near the end of the first half. The foul caused a five-point shift, as freshman guard Jodie Meeks made both free throws and sank a three-pointer. “I’m 52 years old,” Brady told the Associated Press. “I started coaching when I was 21. It’s the first time in the history of my coaching career I’ve gotten a technical foul sitting on the bench.” Sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell led the Tigers in scoring in both games with 19 points against Kentucky and 17 against Mississippi State. Sophomore guard Terry Martin added 16 against the Wildcats. “We weren’t really intimidated at all,” Mitchell said of the Rupp Arena atmosphere. “We just wanted to come in here and play together and play hard. We did play hard, but we just weren’t lucky enough to get the win.” The Tigers shot nearly 40 percent from the field against Kentucky and 35.6 percent against the Bulldogs. Brady said in a post-Kentucky radio interview that he hopes LSU fans will still show up Saturday to support the Tigers against No. 3 University of Florida. “It will be a daunting task for this team,” Brady said. After the weekend showdown with the Gators, the Tigers wrap up the regular season with a Feb. 28 trip to the University of Auburn followed by the Mar. 3 home finale against the University of South Carolina. LSU will attempt to qualify for the NCAA tournament in the SEC tournament held in Atlanta Mar. 8-11. The SEC tournament winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
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