After a nine day break, the men’s basketball team will return to the court Saturday against the McNeese Cowboys in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 7 p.m.
Coach John Brady said he hopes the layoff will not hurt the Tigers, who lost 84-83 at home to Houston in their last game.
“I’m interested to see how we play Saturday after having a long layoff,” Brady said. “The best thing for our team right now is to start playing games. We need to play some games in succession and that is what’s about to happen.”
The break was scheduled for finals week before the semester was moved back a week because of Hurricane Katrina.
The Tigers (3-1) matchup with the Cowboys (2-2) will be the first of four games at home in nine days. McNeese lost 91-76 on the road to Auburn in their last outing.
“We’re going to have to play well to win,” Brady said. “We can’t just show up and expect to win the game.”
LSU will then welcome the University of New Orleans (1-4) to the PMAC on Dec. 13.
“UNO is supposed to have their best team this season,” Brady said. “But their best player, guard Bo McCalebb, from what I have read, recently broke his hand and is going to miss the rest of the season.”
McCalebb, who was fifth in the nation in scoring last season with 22.6 points per game, fell on his right wrist Nov. 30 against Mississippi State. He broke his wrist bone at the base of the thumb and also fractured his thumb in three places.
Dec. 17, junior point guard Tack Minor will be eligible to return, when the Tigers host UL-Lafayette. The University suspended Minor from LSU for the summer and fall semesters because of an academic infraction of the University’s Student Code of Conduct.
Senior Darrel Mitchell, who usually plays shooting guard, has started in place of Minor for LSU. Mitchell has averaged 19.3 points, six assists and 3.75 turnovers in the Tigers’ first four games.
Brady said he is going to take it slow with Minor and said Minor will have to work for his former position in the starting lineup.
“He’s got to earn his way back and earn playing time,” Brady said. “The only way you earn significant playing time is working in the practices. He won’t have any practice time before that first game.”
Minor started all 30 of LSU’s games last season and averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 turnovers.
Brady said he hopes Minor will be back in the starting lineup by the time LSU plays Tulane on Jan. 3.
“We’ll try to play him in spots of some games as much as we can,” Brady said. “As he gets more practice and as he gets more familiar and in basketball-playing shape, his minutes will increase.”
The Tigers then take part in the Las Vegas Holliday Classic, which will begin at home against Northern Iowa on Dec. 19. LSU will play the final two games in Las Vegas, Nev., against Arkansas-Monticello on Dec. 22 and Cincinnati on Dec. 23.
LSU’s final game of the month will be Dec. 31 on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes, whom the Tigers beat 113-101 in double overtime last season in the PMAC.
“They’ve got three or four starters back from a year ago, and they’re the only team to beat Illinois in a regular season game last year,” Brady said. “That will be a challenge for us. We’ll have to be as good or better as we were when we played at West Virginia.”
Senior guard Darrel Mitchell scored 32 points for LSU against the Buckeyes, and sophomore forward Glen Davis had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
“We played a good game together, and we were fortunate to get the win,” Mitchell said. “[Ohio State] might have a different game plan for me this time, but I just have to focus on leading the team on the road and coming out with a victory.”
LSU will play four games in January before the 2006 spring semester begins Jan. 17.
The Tigers open the month at home against Tulane before they travel to Hartford, Conn., Jan. 7 to take on the No. 3 Connecticut Huskies.
The Huskies are led by sophomore forward Rudy Gay, who played on the USA Basketball Under 21 World Championship Team this summer with LSU sophomore forward Glen Davis. Gay leads the Huskies in scoring with 16.3 points per game.
“He’s like a brother from another mother,” Davis said of Gay. “He has a great work ethic and he’s real coachable. It’s sad to say we have to play against him, but we’ll just keep an eye on what he’s doing.”
The Tigers will begin their Southeastern Conference season in Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 11 against the Arkansas Razorbacks followed by their home SEC opener on Jan. 14 against the Tennessee Volunteers.
LSU’s first game during the spring semester will be Jan. 18 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road.