The LSU men’s basketball team returns to the road for another early test away from the PMAC, as a scrappy Houston squad awaits the Tigers tonight.
LSU (3-3) dropped a brutal 79-75 overtime decision Wednesday to South Alabama at home, surrendering 48 points after halftime. The Tigers held a 12-point second-half advantage in the loss, the third double-digit lead LSU has squandered this season.
LSU coach Trent Johnson said the six days of preparation for a “talented” Houston team have brought an eager attitude at a handful of practices during the relatively lengthy break from play.
“We’ve been working hard on a lot of the things we knew have been a concern,” Johnson said. “Playing as a team, being disciplined defensively, we didn’t have that consistently last game. When you have leads like we’ve had, that’s when guys have lost their mental concentration, and we’re practicing tired a lot to fix breakdowns.”
Houston leads the all-time series, 9-6, and has won three of the last four meetings dating back to 2004, but LSU did score a 73-57 win against the Cougars last season.
LSU is playing the fifth game of a six-game stretch away from home in the season’s opening month.
The Tigers played four games in South Carolina two weeks ago, and will travel to Rutgers Saturday for the SEC/Big East Challenge.
Johnson said the road slate was a conscious scheduling decision to assess his team’s mental toughness as a preparation for conference play.
“We will again find out against Houston if we are tough enough, on the road, to block out distractions, execute offensively and play together defensively,” Johnson said. “This team needs to push and fight regardless of environment. We’ll need that mindset against this team because Houston will not