The LSU men’s basketball team’s proficiency in home games, including Wednesday’s 85-68 demolition of South Carolina, will be a complete non-factor this weekend.The Tigers (13-3, 1-1) may have a 13-0 home record, but their 0-3 road record will come into question Saturday afternoon when they travel to face Ole Miss (10-6, 1-1).”When you go to Ole Miss it’s very hard to win,” said senior guard Garrett Temple. “The only way you can win on the road in this league is to play great defense and knock down open shots … We’re going to have to guard their perimeter players who like to drive a lot and just knock down the shots that their defense gives us.”The Tigers ended their only losing streak of the season, a two-game slide against Utah and Alabama, in impressive fashion against the Gamecocks. Junior forward Tasmin Mitchell notched a double-double with 30 points and 14 rebounds — both career highs.”Who wouldn’t think of games like that?” Mitchell said. “But I wouldn’t make it an issue, I was just playing my role. It was a hot hand.”Mitchell’s teammates are appreciative, to say the least, of their forward’s big night.”Who wouldn’t appreciate somebody as strong as Taz in the post?” said sophomore point guard Bo Spencer. “Ninety percent of the time it’s a guaranteed bucket. He’s real strong and physical with good post moves, and he can step off the basket. Who wouldn’t appreciate it?”The Tigers may need a similar effort to get out of Oxford, Miss., with a win. LSU coach Trent Johnson said the difference between the road losses and home wins has been the team’s effort in “crucial times.””I don’t use words like pressure, but you have to relax on offense,” Johnson said. “For whatever it’s worth, we had more guys flying to the ball on the floor and in the stands [Wednesday] than in Alabama and Utah combined.”Ole Miss is bouncing back from its own issues.The Rebels opened conference play with a loss at Florida, 78-68, on Saturday. Facing a 0-2 conference record, they responded with a 74-65 home win against Arkansas, with freshman guard Terrico White coming off the bench to score 18 points.White’s performance comes as a good sign for a team with an injury-depleted backcourt. The Rebels have lost three different guards, sophomores Chris Warren and Trevor Gaskins and junior Eniel Polynice, to season-ending injuries this season.”Ole Miss is very impressive. I’d hate to see them when they have their three kids that are injured playing,” Johnson said. “What I’m impressed with, from the standpoint of watching them on video tape, is more than anything they’re very very tough.”The injuries haven’t stopped the Rebels from posting an 8-1 home record. Ole Miss has not dropped a game at Ole Miss since an 80-78 loss Dec. 3 against West Virginia.Despite the impressive resumes of both teams at home, Temple said the Tigers have to prove their success can translate to the road.”In our eyes [South Carolina] was a must-win because it was a home game … you have to win your home games,” he said. “It gives us confidence that we can bounce back after a loss, but we still haven’t won a road game yet. Ole Miss is going to be a hostile place but hopefully we can get it over there.”If the Tigers pull out the win, it’s going to take another solid defensive performance from the perimeter. Spencer and senior shooting guard Garrett Temple combined for eight steals against South Carolina, compared to none in the 65-59 loss to Alabama. Temple said Spencer’s performance was a key in holding the high-scoring Gamecocks in check.”Bo’s been playing great, he’s been picking up my slack,” Temple said. “Bo did a great job on [Alabama point guard Ronald] Steele and I told him that. After Utah, me and him had a little talk, and he’s approached the defensive end a little more, a little better.”——Contact David Helman at [email protected]