Home cooking always tastes better.
LSU (9-6, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) is 8-1 overall and a perfect 2-0 in conference play in Baton Rouge this season. But the Tigers slid to 0-4 on the road against No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday, 89-58.
The Tigers will try to rebound from that loss tonight against SEC Western Division foe Ole Miss at 7 p.m. in the PMAC.
“I think their confidence may have a little bit to do with it,” coach John Brady said of LSU’s road play this season. “It’s the mental toughness and the concentration and the maturity that your team needs to win on the road. We’re not quite there yet. Hopefully the experience of Kentucky will make us better this week when we come home for two games.”
Freshman forward Glen Davis, who scored nine points against Kentucky and averages 13.7, said he is excited about being back in the PMAC.
“Everybody’s glad to be back home,” Davis said. “This is where we’re comfortable playing. Everybody wants to come home and try to win a game. Being at home is an advantage for us.”
Ole Miss (11-8, 2-4) comes into tonight’s matchup with two consecutive losses at home to No. 7 Kentucky, 53-50, and No. 14 Alabama, 66-58. The Rebels do not fare well on the road either, posting a 3-2 record.
“We are coming off two tough losses to very good basketball teams,” Rebels coach Rod Barnes said during Monday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “LSU is a very talented team, very similar to Alabama with a great inside and outside game. It’s always tough on the road.”
Londrick Nolen leads Ole Miss with 12.5 points and five rebounds per game, followed closely by Tommie Eddie with 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and a 50 percent average from 3-point range.
Barnes said he also looks for some bench players to make meaningful contributions if the Rebels are going to challenge SEC opponents.
“I think we have to get those guys a little more involved than we have in the past,” Barnes said. “If we can get those guys back where they were, we will be OK. I think late in the game we may have guys a little bit too tired. We are going to try to implement a few more kids.”
With Ole Miss holding its opponents to 62.1 points per game this season, Brady said the Rebels can be dangerous if they catch fire on offense.
“They guard you,” Brady said. “We have to try to drive to the hole and get fouled. We have to drive the ball through the gaps. One thing their team is going to do is defend extremely well and claw and fight you for loose balls. If they can get some scoring, they can be tough to beat.”
The Rebels also look to shut down LSU’s 3-point game and gain an advantage rebounding, Barnes said.
The Tigers average 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, while the forward tandem of Brandon Bass and Glen Davis averages 30.6 points and 17.2 rebounds per game. LSU holds a 4.4 rebound advantage over its opponents this season.
“We have to defend on the perimeter,” Barnes said. “That’s going to be difficult. You have to eliminate their touches near the basket. Hopefully [we will] do a better job on the boards than we have done. [LSU] is similar to Alabama; there is no place you can go and not have one of their kids be a threat.”