LSU coach John Brady fiddled with his starting lineup in Wednesday night’s, 78-74, win against McNeese State. In a move that added more size to the starting five, Brady inserted junior Chris Johnson into the starting center position and brought junior Garrett Temple off the bench. With Johnson in the starting lineup, the Tigers front court boasted a twin tower combination of 6-foot-10-inch Anthony Randolph and 6-foot-11-inch Johnson. McNeese felt the effects of LSU’s size, having 11 of their shots blocked. Temple, who has come off the bench only twice in his career, said he had no objections about not starting against the Cowboys. “As long as I can contribute to the team winning, I don’t mind if I come off the bench,” Temple said. “If coach thinks that’s what’s best for the team, then I’m down with that.” Assuming the unfamiliar role of sixth man for the Tigers, Temple made his presence known on the court with multiple driving layups and crisp ballhandling. The Baton Rouge native finished with nine points on three-of-four shooting and was the only Tiger to not commit a turnover. With Temple coming off the bench, the Tigers were able to use Johnson early to set the tone on the defensive end. Four minutes and 46 seconds into the game, Johnson had blocked four shots and added two points. Johnson would add two more blocks and two more points to finish the game with four points and six blocks. “I thought [Johnson] started the game well,” Brady said. “I didn’t have any problem with him tonight.” Marcus Thornton, who led the Tigers in scoring with 24 points, said he liked the way the Tigers played with Johnson in the lineup. “When [Johnson] comes off the bench, he gives us a spark,” Thornton said. “Him filling in [as a starter] is always a big plus.” The player who benefitted the most from the switch may have been forward Tasmin Mitchell. Mitchell, who had foul trouble in the opening games of the season, steered clear of contact tonight and managed to play 36 minutes. With the responsibility of guarding the opposing team’s big man transferee to Johnson, Mitchell was free to concentrate on his scoring and rebounding. The junior finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Although Mitchell managed to limit his number of fouls, Randolph wasn’t as fortunate. The freshman forward sat most of the first half after he picked up two quick fouls in the first 10 minutes of play. Randolph stayed clean in the second half and finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds. Brady said although his lineup switch worked against the Cowboys, he isn’t ready to commit to a permanent starting five. “This lineup may change from time to time,” Brady said. “I want to keep everybody’s head up. I want to give everybody an opportunity. There’s nothing etched in stone.”
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