LSU and Oklahoma are mirror images of each other.
Both are coming off basketball seasons with disappointing endings when an NCAA Tournament bid eluded them.
Both lost their starting centers during the season, even though LSU’s loss meant much more to the team.
And, both schools’ football teams played in the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
The teams will meet today at 8:30 p.m. in Norman, Okla., at the Lloyd Noble Center in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
LSU (18-10, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) started the season 7-3 in conference, but after star center Jaime Lloreda injured both of his feet and subsequently left the team, the Tigers’ season went downhill. LSU lost six of its last seven games, including a 21-point thrashing at the hands of South Carolina in the second round of the SEC Tournament that blew them right off the NCAA Tournament bubble.
But, junior guard Antonio Hudson said he is happy to just still be playing.
“Certain schools would die to be playing in the NIT,” Hudson said. “Certain schools aren’t even playing basketball now. We still have a post-season and a chance to prove ourselves. We didn’t get here just to play one game and go home. We came to prove ourselves.”
The Sooners (19-10, 8-8 Big XII) missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years, but extended the nation’s longest post-season streak to 23 years.
Center Jabahri Brown was kicked off the team late in the season due to a violation of team rules and made Oklahoma more of a guard-oriented team. The Sooners’ leading scorer is senior Jason Detrick, who averages 11.6 points per game. Their next leading scorer is 5-foot-7 freshman guard Drew Lavender, who scores 11.5 points per game. Sophomore guard De’Angelo Alexander comes off the bench to average 10 points per game.
“Their inside game is not what it used to be,” LSU coach John Brady said. “They’re not as efficient scoring the ball off the post as they were in the past. Their one, twos and threes lead them in scoring, so our challenge defensively is going to be to guard their one, twos and threes.”
Brady said he thinks the Tigers will have the advantage in the post, with freshman Brandon Bass leading the way.
Bass, the 2004 SEC Freshmen of the Year, averaged 12.7 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.
LSU freshman guard Tack Minor said even though he is disappointed the Tigers did not get into the NCAA Tournament, he just wants to win.
“We’re just trying to win,” Minor said. “We’re trying to just keep on playing. We lost a couple of games in the SEC that we shouldn’t have lost, but we’re trying to just keep on playing. We don’t want to sit out.”