If there was a theme song for the fall portion of the LSU men’s basketball team’s fall schedule, it would have been “On the Road Again.”
The Tigers (5-3) played six of their first eight games away from the comfort of the PMAC to mixed, but promising results.
A pair of underclassmen on the wing and a trio of dynamic newcomers have led the way for LSU thus far.
Freshman point guard Anthony Hickey has burst on the scene early in his career.
The former Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky has maneuvered past opposing players on both ends of the floor to the tune of 11 points, 4.6 assists and four rebounds per game and has totaled 18 steals.
“We respect him a lot already,” said sophomore shooting guard Andre Stringer, who averages a team-high 12.1 points per game. “He’s our floor general, and he kind of gets us going energy-wise. His production and attitude has been great.”
Transfer junior center Justin Hamilton has perhaps been the steadiest player through the fall, showing his passing acumen and versatile post game while averaging 10.9 points per game and leading the team with a 49.2 shooting percentage.
Touted freshman forward Johnny O’Bryant entered LSU with hype galore this fall, and has shown flashes of brilliance while adjusting to the college game’s rigors.
“At times, I’ve been good, and others, we know I could do better,” said O’Bryant, who is averaging nine points and 6.4 rebounds per game. “I’m struggling right now scoring, but I think I’m ready for it to come together. I need some consistency.”
That consistency has been sorely lacking from a gelling Tiger squad so far, as four different players have led LSU in scoring and the defensive efforts have been spotty.
The Tigers have earned two wins, against Georgia Tech (59-50) in the Charleston Classic and last week at Houston (59-58), with lockdown performances on defense.
But LSU also gave up 88 points to Northwestern in a neutral-site loss, surrendered 79 to South Alabama in a brutal overtime home loss and has often failed to earn a key stop in the late stages of three single-digit defeats.
“I don’t want to overanalyze it,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson of his team’s inconsistency. “There are three freshmen who are integral to our team, and they’ll have their struggles as young guys. The matchups have been tough, too, and that’s caused some of the issues.”
In addition to playing away from home, the Tigers’ schedule has indeed been laced with tests against quality mid-majors and decent power programs.
LSU went 2-1 in November’s Charleston Classic, taking fifth place by defeating the Yellow Jackets and perennial mid-major contender Western Kentucky following the opening-round loss against Northwestern and its second-team preseason All-American, John Shurna, who dropped 37 points on the Tigers.
In their first road test, the Tigers fell to Coastal Carolina — which has won two consecutive Big South titles and made the National Invitatational Tournament last season — after leading by 10 points in the first half.
However, the Tigers concluded their travels on a high note, slugging out a key road victory Staurday night at Rutgers.
LSU used a late 12-2 spurt behind eight points from Hickey and O’Bryant in the final three minutes to clip the Scarlet Knights, 55-50.
The win gave the Tigers four wins in their final five games and some momentum heading into a holiday stretch that includes six home games, including tilts against a ranked Marquette squad, Virginia and the Southeastern Conference opener against Ole Miss.
Johnson said the team will need to heed his constant emphasis on defense and rebounding to navigate the rest of a demanding non-conference slate and the Southeastern Conference schedule with success.
“We don’t want to learn any more lessons the hard way,” said Johnson, who is in his fourth season at LSU. “There comes a point where the players figure out this game for themselves. That’s what good players do.”
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]