LSU athletic director Joe Alleva encouraged fans to get out and support the LSU men’s basketball team at a press conference held at Walk-On’s on Tuesday.”They deserve the support of our fans,” Alleva said.Alleva said approximately 7,000 season tickets were sold but an average of 4,500 fans were not attending the games.Alleva, who was Duke’s athletic director from 1998 to 2008, said it was a little different having to promote basketball but said he sees no reason for fans to not attend. “The quality of competition is right up there,” Alleva said. “The entertainment value is right up there.”Alleva said he hopes to beef up LSU’s home schedule in the future with more prominent competition. He said despite Tennesee being the only ranked team in the Southeastern Conference, he feels the conference schedule is strong.”I think there’s a lot of parity in college basketball period,” Alleva said. “But as the season progresses, I think [the SEC] will have some teams ranked in the top 25.”
 
GYMNASTICS PREPARES FOR SEC OPENERLSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux also stepped up to the podium to discuss her team’s matchup with No. 8 Georgia on Friday.The Tigers are undefeated in the early stages of the season, but Breaux expressed a desire to see scores rise from her athletes.Breaux said she was not upset about facing the four-time defending national champion early in the season.”The timing is very good,” Breaux said. “We need Georgia on Friday to put pressure on [us] and make believers out of [LSU gymnastics].”Breaux also said she is excited to see how freshman Gloria Johnson, a Baton Rouge native, will perform in her first meet in the PMAC.”She has a lot to give,” Breaux said. “We are going to have to be patient in getting it.” Breaux also expressed her support of the LSU men’s basketball team. “If [fans] bought that ticket and they don’t come out then shame on them,” Breaux said.
 
 
 
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Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]