LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons made sure to put the pregame billing to bed before he could be further asked about Saturday’s contest with No. 1 Oklahoma.
Fresh off a morning SportsCenter interview, Simmons sat in front a host of reporters Thursday afternoon and was frank about his supposed battle with fellow Wooden Award candidate and likely NBA lottery selection, Sooner senior guard Buddy Hield.
“It’s not ‘me against him,’” Simmons said. “If you watch basketball, you know it’s not ‘me against him.’ If you’re saying it’s ‘me against him,’ then you clearly don’t know too much about basketball … You must not watch if it’s ‘me against him’ because I won’t be guarding him.”
While the 6-foot-10 Simmons likely won’t draw the defensive assignment for the 6-foot-4 Hield, all most want to talk about is the matchup between two of the best players in college basketball, featured in an unusual nonconference showcase at midseason.
But as Simmons, his teammates and LSU coach Johnny Jones will point out, the top-ranked Sooners (17-2, 6-2 Big 12) earned their ranking for a reason, and it’s more than just Hield.
“They’ve got a team full of guys,” Jones said. “Buddy Hield is not their leading three-point field goal percentage shooter. He’s actually second. They’ve got three guys in the top four in their league in terms of knocking down 3-pointers … Buddy’s an excellent player. But, again, you’ve got to stop their team. They are averaging well over 80 points a game.
“You’ve got to defend their basketball team, not one individual. If you’re concentrating on him, someone else is going to hurt you.”
Hield, who is the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 25.9 points per game, is as efficient of a scorer as any in the country, averaging a gaudy 53 percent from the field, 52.3 percent from 3-point territory and 90.3 percent from the free throw line.
But beyond him lies an experienced, battle-tested starting lineup, including sharpshooting guards Jordan Woodard and Isaiah Cousins, versatile forward Ryan Spangler and shot-blocking forward Khadeem Lattin.
Moreover, Woodard is the No. 1 three-point shooter in the nation, Spangler averages nearly a double-double and Lattin blocked eight shots in Oklahoma’s most recent win against Texas Tech.
Despite Spangler and Lattin’s prowess in the paint, it’s clear to LSU senior guard Keith Hornsby, who will be turning 24 on Saturday, the Sooners have a guard-dominant roster that likes to run the floor and is capable of pulling up from anywhere around the arc.
“It will be interesting,” Hornsby said. “We’ve haven’t gone against a team where each of the three guards are such an incredible threat from three and also shoot it willingly.”
Hornsby said the Tigers (13-7, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) haven’t officially determined how they will slow down the Oklahoma transition attack, possibly sending an additional player back instead of attacking the offensive glass. In whatever way LSU plans its defensive assignments, both junior guard Tim Quarterman and freshman guard Antonio Blakeney embrace the task of squaring up against Hield.
For Quarterman, his length is his biggest asset against Hield’s quick trigger and his moves to the basket.
“Just be long,” Quarterman said when asked about his strategy. “Try to stay in his wheelhouse. Don’t let him get easy shots and just make it tough on him.”
While Jones gave his team the day off on Wednesday, LSU began its preparation for the Sooners relieved it didn’t let a late lead against Georgia slip away in an 89-85 win Tuesday night.
In a drawn-out contest due to the 55 fouls called, the Tigers took a double-digit lead into the final minute of the game. But, the Bulldogs cut the lead to one point in less than 30 seconds and had a chance to tie the game on freshman forward E’Torrion Wilridge’s errant jumper with four seconds left.
Despite LSU missing four foul shots down the stretch, Blakeney nailed his final four free throw attempts to salvage the victory.
“The only positive thing about that was that we didn’t suffer a loss because it really was a bad way to end the game,” Blakeney said. “Within 50-something seconds, we were up 10 points, and there’s no way it should get to where — if they hit a three — we’re losing the game. That’s just not a good way end the game at all, but I’m just glad we got the victory.”
Even with the unpleasant ending to their sixth conference win, the Tigers charge forward to their soldout Big 12/SEC Challenge contest with more to gain than to lose. At the very least, it will be fun, even if it’s just a “regular game,” Simmons said.
“It’s going to be a memory that I will always hold onto once I leave, whenever that is,” Simmons said. “It’s going to be a fun night.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR

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Courtesy of the Oklahoma Daily

Oklahoma senior guard Buddy Hield drives towards the goal against the Kansas State on Jan. 9.