LSU big men Brandon Bass and Jaime Lloreda are the focal point of the Tigers basketball team’s offense.
They often both register double-doubles in the same game and are the centerpieces of opposing teams’ defensive game plans.
But nobody ever said the guards could not help, and lately, that is exactly what they have been doing.
Sophomore Darrel Mitchell and junior Antonio Hudson combined for 39 points on 10-of-14 shooting from 3-point range and have been instrumental in the Tigers’ current three-game winning streak.
LSU (15-4, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) hopes its hot shooting continues when the Tigers host Arkansas Saturday at noon in the PMAC.
Before the Tigers’ win at Alabama on Jan. 31, Hudson was the regular starter and Mitchell the sixth man. But with Hudson mired in a shooting slump, coach John Brady made a change and flip-flopped the two.
“It seemed to have helped him,” Brady said of Hudson’s move to the bench to start the game. “He’s had two nice scoring games and he’s made some shots. He’s still defending well and playing hard coming off the bench, but I think it’s maybe relaxed him a little bit and enabled him to make some baskets.”
Junior point guard Xavier Whipple said the re-emergence of Hudson is huge for the team, especially since he is considered one of the team’s scorers.
“The first shot he made [against UT] he didn’t hesitate and he made it and just shot it in rhythm,” Whipple said. “And I told him after that to keep shooting. He’s one of the main guys. If he’s not playing up to his capabilities, it takes a lot away from the team.”
Mitchell, who has been solid all season with an 11.2 points per game average, said starting is not much different than being the sixth man.
“If I start, it’s the same as coming off the bench,” Mitchell said. “You’re still starting off stiff and you’ve got to get into the flow of the game. But me starting and Hud coming off the bench has helped us out.”
Hudson and Mitchell will be partly responsible for trying to slow down an Arkansas team that has improved since LSU defeated it on Jan. 6 in Fayetteville, 66-55.
Since then, the Razorbacks have not lost a home game to an SEC opponent and beat Auburn by 22 on Feb. 4.
The Hogs are led in scoring by 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Jonathon Modica, who averages 17.1 points per contest, and 6-foot-7 freshman guard Ronnie Brewer, who averages 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
“They’re going to be a different team,” Whipple said. “We just have to come out and play hard and play with confidence and see if we can come out with a win.”