When the Tigers begin Southeastern Conference Tournament play in Atlanta tonight at 8:45 p.m., how they play — not who they play — will make the difference.
LSU forward Brandon Bass remembers the feeling of last year’s one-and-out at the tournament. The squad held the SEC West No. 2 seed and a bye in the opening round last year. It awaited the East’s No. 3 seed South Carolina, which played the day before.
Shooting lights out to begin the game, LSU shot 56 percent from the field in the first half and led 40-39 at halftime only to fall on its face in the second half and lose 85-64.
“We had a good first half, but we let up,” said Bass, who recently garnered SEC Player of the Year honors. “We have learned that you can’t let up in the SEC Tournament because any team is capable of beating you. We’re going to max out the intensity in both halves and try to come out with a win.”
Facing the same situation this year, the Tigers flew to Atlanta Wednesday with a bye in the opening round. The Tigers face the winner of East No. 3 Vanderbilt versus West No. 6 Auburn. The results of that game were not final at press time.
Playing either team presents challenges, but the Tigers are familiar with both foes, said LSU coach John Brady. Also, the game will not affect the Tigers NCAA Tournament bid.
“We don’t have anything to prove in the conference tournament because we’ve secured NCAA bids,” Brady said. “We want to go over there and play the best we possibly can, and if playing well can win it for us or win a couple of games for us, then that would be nice. But our health is more important at this stage because of what lies ahead for us.”
LSU defeated Vanderbilt 81-69 in its regular season finale at the PMAC last Saturday. LSU held just a 46-44 advantage but stepped up the intensity with 13 minutes remaining to put the game out of reach.
Playing the same team in back-to-back games might present a mental obstacle for the Tigers, but Brady said they must fight through it.
“Once the ball’s thrown up by the official, it won’t affect the outcome of the game,” Brady said. “I’m sure Vandy wants another shot at us. They’re still playing, they think, for an NCAA Tournament bid. They’ve got to win two games, but they’ve got to get by Auburn first.”
The Tigers also battled Auburn recently and defeated their division rival, 77-64, in a come-from-behind effort on Feb. 26. LSU trailed by six at halftime but reclaimed the lead 45-44 and coasted the rest of the way to a series sweep. The Tigers defeated Auburn at the PMAC on Feb. 9, 90-69.
Auburn could be dangerous in the tournament, especially if it shoots well from 3-point range, Brady said. The Plainsmen defeated Arkansas in their season finale 77-64 — a game in which Auburn hit 9 of 21 shots from beyond the arc.
“Auburn’s one of those teams that shoots a lot of [3-pointers],” Brady said. “If they’re making them they can keep the score close. You have to get out and guard them above the 3-point line. You’ve got to make them throw the ball to the goal or drive the ball to the goal, not let them catch and shoot on you.”
Senior guard Antonio Hudson said not knowing which team the Tigers will play just a day before tipoff does not faze him.
“It doesn’t really matter to us as players,” Hudson said. “In the conference tournament, we’ve already played all the teams. So we pretty much know what they are going to do.”
Hudson had his coming out party during the 2002 SEC Tournament in Atlanta as a freshman. He averaged 21 points in three games before the Tigers bowed out to Mississippi State in the semifinals.
At last year’s tournament, Hudson scored 25 points in the Tigers’ quarterfinal loss against South Carolina in Atlanta.
“I had a good game over there last year, but we lost so it’s not a very fond memory,” Hudson said. “We’re going to the tournament, hopefully going to make a little noise.”