LSU freshman point guard Andre Stringer learned a hard lesson from Saturday’s heartbreaking one-point loss to Mississippi State.
Stringer, who said he hasn’t stopped thinking about the play, committed a last-second turnover and spoiled an opportunity for the Tigers’ third Southeastern Conference victory.
“I’ll become better at those situations if I’m approached with them again,” Stringer said. “I should have tried to go to the basket faster. I won’t know until it happens again.”
Stringer will get the chance to erase the memory Wednesday when LSU (10-13, 2-6) travels to Ole Miss for an 8 p.m. tipoff against the surging Rebels.
Ole Miss (15-8, 3-5) won its last two games, including a 71-69 victory at home against then-No. 10 Kentucky.
LSU coach Trent Johnson blamed the missed opportunity against the Bulldogs on the team’s lack of confidence and tendency to tense up during critical moments.
“They’re tight,” Johnson said. “I talk to them all the time and tell them to relax. There’s no reason to be tight.”
LSU is getting closer to claiming its third conference win, which has escaped the team in the past six games.
The Tigers lost their first contest of the six-game slide by 38 points to Kentucky. They’ve only lost their last two games by a combined nine points.
Wednesday night’s game is the second matchup in 18 days for the two teams. In the last meeting, Ole Miss, who was 0-4 in the SEC at the time, went into the halftime locker room with only a six-point advantage.
But the Rebels ran away with a 78-51 victory after LSU could only muster 19 points in the final 20 minutes.
This is the first time this season each team is facing a familiar opponent from earlier in the schedule.
“Once you play a good team, you see what their strengths are,” Stringer said. “We knew what they wanted to do early from film, but it’s different than when you see it.”
Junior forward Malcolm White returns for the first time to Tad Smith Coliseum, where he played two seasons with the Rebels.
“Mac was a good player, a good addition to our program for the two years he was here,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said on the weekly SEC teleconference. “It was good to see him in Baton Rouge. I know that he’s been playing well.”
White had four points and four rebounds in the first meeting with his former team.
LSU freshman guard Ralston Turner was absent from the first matchup with a stress reaction, but he is slowly regaining his early season form since the removal of his walking boot and returning for the Alabama game Jan. 29.
“I’m getting there,” Turner said. “I’m really close [to matching production from early in the season].”
The 6-foot-6-inch, 193-pound guard contributed 13.7 points a night before the stress reaction, only averaging 4.3 points in the three games since his return.
Junior forward Storm Warren took his turn in a boot while trying to overcome an Achilles injury. Johnson said Warren should return to the starting lineup Wednesday.
“We should be as healthy as we’ve been up to this point,” Johnson said.
The news isn’t all positive, however.
Freshman forward Matt Derenbecker is probable with a left ankle sprain, and freshman forward Jalen Courtney is out with right knee problems.
 
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