LSU Tigers (7-5, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (8-4, 0-0 Southeastern Conference)
When/Where: 8:00 p.m. CT at Memorial Gymnasium | Nashville, Tennessee
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Mark Jones and Kara Lawson
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
Things to watch for:
New year, new team?: Sure, there were some bright moments in 2015 for LSU through 12 nonconference games. But, for the most part, the Tigers are going to want to leave their old selves behind as they begin SEC play in 2016. LSU coach Johnny Jones even gathered his club for a team meeting, hoping to hit the reset button on a disappointing year thus far. While there have been different problem areas in its five losses, the crux of LSU’s struggles begin with rebounding, especially offensively. Far too often have the Tigers been outrebounded or allowed too many second-chance opportunities. That was no different in LSU’s last game against Wake Forest, during which it lost the total rebounding battle by 7 and lost the offensive rebounding battle by 9. The Tigers have also struggled to defend perimeter shooting, ranking No. 232 in the nation in three-point percentage defense. Defending the three-ball won’t get any easier as it faces the Commodores, which is tied for No. 19 in three-point percentage. Typically, scoring hasn’t been an issue for LSU as it is top 30 nationally in points per game. To turn their season around, the difference for the Tigers will have to come with the “little things,” as senior guard Keith Hornsby has pointed out. That begins with winning the battle on the boards and defending the three ball.
Way of Wade: How good is Vanderbilt point guard Wade Baldwin? Jones mentioned NBA scouts comparing him to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. The 6-foot-3 sophomore leads the Commodores in points, assists and steals per game and offers a dynamic offensive skill set. Like Westbrook, he’s a crafty finisher at the basket, but he is also an excellent shooter, hitting 47 percent of his shots from beyond arc. While the Tigers backcourt will certainly have their eye on Wade, the Commodores have a pair of 7-foot centers who could also cause trouble for the frontcourt. Baton Rouge native Damian Jones and reserve big man Luke Kornet are second and third, respectively, in points per game and will be a challenging task for freshman forward Ben Simmons and sophomore forward Craig Victor.
Memorable Memorial: Prior to Tuesday’s loss to Wake Forest at the PMAC, the Tigers were undefeated at home but all four previous losses came away from Baton Rouge. Hence, none of LSU’s three highly-touted freshmen have won on the road in purple and gold. And the Tigers’ next road test comes at one of the stranger venues in college basketball – Memorial Gymnasium, home to a typically raucous crowd. Memorial’s floor is raised and each team’s benches sit on the baseline, sometimes creating issues with communication. But the Tigers were able to pull out an overtime victory in Nashville last season, so players like senior guard Keith Hornsby and junior guard Tim Quarterman are familiar with winning in that environment. For a team desperately needing a quality win, Memorial makes for quite a location to start SEC play.
LSU’s last game: The Tigers suffered their first home loss of the season, falling to Wake Forest, 71-77.
Vanderbilt’s last game: Baldwin recorded a double-double, matching a career-high 10 rebounds, to push the Commodores past Western Michigan, 86-61, to close the nonconference slate at home on Thursday. Vanderbilt held the Broncos to a 2-0f-18 clip from three-point territory while getting five different double-figure performances on the offensive end. Commodore sophomore forward Jeff Roberts joined Baldwin with a double-double of his own (11 points and 10 rebounds).
LSU’s possible starters:
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr..): 10.1 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 1.2 apg
G Keith Hornsby (Sr.): 16.4 ppg., 2.4 rpg., 2.2 apg
G Tim Quarterman (Jr.): 11.9 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 3.5 apg.
F Ben Simmons (Fr.): 19.3 ppg., 13.0 rpg., 5.5 apg., 2.2 spg.
F Craig Victor (So.): 14.0 ppg., 4.8 rpg., apg., 2.0 spg
LSU’s top reserves:
G Josh Gray (Sr.): 8.2 ppg., 2.6 rpg., 2.5 apg.
G Brandon Sampson (Fr.): 7.8 ppg., 2.0 rpg., 1.3 apg.
G Jalyn Patterson (So.): 5.1 ppg., 0.6 rpg., 2.1 apg.
F Aaron Epps (So.): 6.3 ppg., 3.2 rpg.
C Elbert Robinson (So.): 4.1 ppg., 2.8 rpg.
Vanderbilt’s possible starters:
G Wade Baldwin IV (So.): 14.7 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 3.9 apg., 1.7 spg
G Matthew Fisher-Davis (So.): 8.4 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 1.2 apg.
G Riley LaChance (So.): 8.7 ppg., 2.1 rpg., 3.2 apg.
F Jeff Roberson (So.): 8.4 ppg., 5.5 rpg., 0.5 apg.
C Damian Jones (Jr.): 12.6 ppg., 6.4 rpg., 1.8 apg., 1.9 bpg.
Vanderbilt’s top reserves:
G Nolan Cressler (Jr.): 6.4 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 1.3 apg.
G Cameron Justice (Fr.): 5.4 ppg., 1.6 rpg.
G Joe Toye (Fr.): 5.4 ppg., 1.7 rpg.
F Luke Kornet (Jr.): 9.5 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.8 bpg.
C Josh Henderson (Grad Student): 4.9 ppg., 2.9 rpg.
