A win is a win, but Will Wade and his team were far from satisfied with LSU’s performance in a 66-51 win over Ohio.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do on offense,” Wade said following the win.
LSU showed some flaws on offense in this game, scoring a season low 66 points. The Tigers led by as much as 18 points in the first half, but Ohio came all the way back and tied the game early in the second half. A lot of this could be attributed to an overall lack of rhythm in LSU’s offense and inability to create good looks. For a while it looked flat on offense, shooting three after three but failing to find the mark, only shooting 4-18 from beyond the arc.
Turnovers were an issue too for the Tigers, as they matched their season high with 17 on the night.
“We had nine assists and seven turnovers between the two point guards,” Wade said. “That’s not good enough.”
LSU’s sloppiness was another major factor in allowing Ohio to climb back in the game. This took possessions away from LSU in the second half and allowed Ohio to control the game and play at its own pace. The turnovers were an issue in LSU’s previous game as well and have started to become a concern for the Tigers as they inch closer to SEC play.
Rebounding was poor for LSU in this game too, which allowed Ohio to get extra possessions and outshoot LSU 68-49. Ohio was able to get 12 offensive rebounds compared to only four for LSU. Luckily for the Tigers, Ohio only shot 18-68 from the field, but against a better team, the rebounding can become a major concern.
One of the lone bright spots for LSU in this game as the play of Tari Eason, who tied his season high with 20 points. Eason’s energy off the bench has been huge for the Tigers all season and may have been the key to victory in this game. Eason did a great job of getting out in transition and finishing at the rim, which was started by his play on defense. Alongside his 20 points, Eason added five steals and three blocks which led to numerous baskets for LSU on the other end.
“Any time you come off the bench, you want to bring energy to the team, and that’s my job,” Eason said.
Eason has put together a nice run of impressive performances now, and is looking like one of the most valuable players on this LSU team. The energy and intensity he brought on both ends of the court in this game was unmatched, and he looked like the best player in the building. His athleticism, skill and intensity has been vital to this LSU team through the early part of the season, and may have been this difference in this game.
LSU’s defense did continue to impress despite the offensive struggles, holding Ohio to just 51 points. The Tigers were able to hold Ohio scoreless for the first 8:32 in the game, and came alive again at the end to pull away. Most impressively, LSU was able to hold Ohio to just 26% shooting from the field, which was key considering how many shots Ohio was able to take.
Through the positives however, Wade was still far from impressed with the performance of his team. LSU will now have 10 days before taking the court again against Georgia Tech, and Wade was adamant that change would come in that span.
“We’ve had some slippage in some areas that hasn’t been noticeable because we’ve been winning,” Wade said. “I need to get to this break to reset everything and we’re going to have a hell of a reset.”
