Saturday’s game against Oklahoma was another stop along the LSU men’s basketball team’s season-long journey, coach Johnny Jones said.
Next stop: Auburn at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
When asked how LSU (13-8, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) will transition from a grueling, 40-minute war against No. 1 Oklahoma to its next matchup in the Auburn Arena, Jones came prepared with metaphors as he met with the media on Monday.
“It’s a journey for us,” Jones said. “After each stop, which would’ve been on Saturday, we have to make sure we can move on after the success, or lack thereof.”
Jones said the transition from facing off against one powerhouse, nationally-elite team to battling a heavy-weight conference foe could evolve LSU from being a “good team” to a “great team.”
“That’s what separates good teams from great ones,” he said. “To play with that energy level night-in and night-out is important. The closer you get to that, that’s a place for success.”
LSU is sitting alongside No. 20 Kentucky and No. 25 South Carolina, one game behind No. 8 Texas A&M for the top spot in the conference.
It’s a happy place for Jones and LSU, he said.
“That’s huge for us,” Jones said.
Auburn (9-11, 3-5 SEC), on the other hand, sits two games from last place in the SEC, yet Jones expects another tough challenge against the team, which is 7-3 at home this season.
“It’s a big game for us on the road on tomorrow against an Auburn team that’s certainly had success at home, knocking off teams like Kentucky and Alabama,” Jones said.
In its last five games, Auburn defeated then-No. 14 Kentucky, 75-70, and Alabama, 83-77, then lost three-straight to Florida, Ole Miss and most-recently Oklahoma State.
Auburn Arena is no walk in the park for SEC opponents this season, as Auburn is 3-1 in their home gym with its only loss to South Carolina on Jan. 5.
In the last two games, Auburn has been without 6-foot-7 senior forward Cinmeon Bowers after being suspended on Jan. 30 against Oklahoma State for “conduct detrimental to the team,” as Auburn coach Bruce Pearl put it. Bowers played 18 minutes against Ole Miss on Jan. 27, but was benched for a majority of the second half for an “attitude issue,” Pearl said early last week. Bowers, with eight double-doubles this season, is expected to make his return on Tuesday against LSU.
Bowers provides defensive spark and is a lengthy offensive weapon to an already well-developed and improved Auburn team.
“The guys from last year have done a good job improving from even a year ago,” Jones said. “They’re a good team. They’re a good defensive basketball team. They’re a threat offensively. They’re a good 3-point shooting team.”
“That’s a very talented team,” Jones concluded.