LSU wrapped up its first in-season tournament this past weekend, which was a wild one.
The Tigers placed third in the Greenbrier Tip-off, losing their first game to the Pittsburgh Panthers 74-63 but redeeming themselves against UCF by winning 109-102 in triple overtime.
In their game against Pittsburgh, the Tigers struggled to score for most of the game, but after going seven minutes without a basket, they fell behind in the second half. They trailed by 12, but they clawed their way back to make it a five-point game. However, it wasn’t enough, as Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe made timely shots down the stretch that secured the victory for the Panthers.
On Sunday, LSU trailed by 20 at one point but charged back to send the game into overtime. The Tigers prevailed in triple overtime with great all-around performances.
Jordan Sears led the way with 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists while knocking down six 3-pointers. Jalen Reed and Cam Carter scored 20 or more points while Vyctorius Miller and Dji Bailey also had double digits against the Knights.
LSU ended the tournament positively and still collected an impressive win.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from their performance in the Greenbrier Tip-off.

Scoring troubles were clear in both games

Although the Tigers put up 109 points in their game against UCF, their inefficiency and inconsistency in scoring played a role in why they trailed both games in the first place.
In the first half of the Pittsburgh game, the Tigers shot a subpar 36.7% from the field and 25% from three in the first half.
In the second half, the story was no different as they shot 37.9% from the field and 22.2% from three. The Panthers also struggled to shoot the ball in the first half but caught fire in the second, shooting 63.6% from the field and 37.5% from three.
The trend continued into the first half of the UCF game, where the Tigers shot an abysmal 25% from the field and 23.1% from downtown. LSU picked it up in the second half, but if the trend of them struggling to shoot in the first half continues, there’s potential for them to get out of games early against other teams in the season.

The freshmen can hoop

Head coach Matt McMahon brought in highly-touted players from the past two recruiting classes, and they have made immediate impacts on the floor.
Right now, three freshmen have stood out this season: true freshmen Curtis Givens and Vyctorius Miller and redshirt freshman Corey Chest.
Although Givens is still trying to find his footing with the team, Miller and Chest have found ways to make their presence known. In the two games in the tournament, Miller off the bench averaged 15 points while shooting 47% from the field and 37% from three. There were multiple times in both games where the offense became stagnant, and it was Miller who changed the offense by taking and making tough shots. Against the Knights, he didn’t shoot the ball well from 3-point range, but his ability to attack the base and finish through contact was impressive.
As for Chest, he brought versatility and intensity on both ends of the court. In the two games, he averaged seven points and seven rebounds, while also collecting 4 blocks and steals combined.
Standing at 6-foot-8, he can guard every position on the court but also use his size and strength to score inside on offense.
Going forward, be prepared to see their roles increase.

Second half surge

The Tigers have shown that they can overcome deficits and come back in games. In both games, LSU trailed, but the team found ways to come back and trim the deficit or take the lead.
It was a combination of defense, pace and scorers stepping up. When LSU struggled to put points on the board, it used its defense to force turnovers and get out in transition.
When the offense wasn’t clicking, it was players such as Sears, Reed or Miller who made timely baskets when their names were called.
LSU was down by 20 points in its game against UCF, but Sears, Miller and Reed started the run to get them back into the game.
McMahon emphasized experience with guards and that veteran leadership played a role in their comeback victory against the Knights.