A 19-point lead may accurately validate using the term “blowout” to describe this game, but it does not quite depict just how lopsided this one was. At one point, the Tigers led by over 30 points, and it felt like it was about to get even worse.
Anyone who was paying attention at that point of the game knows what I mean.
Though the Tigers led Georgia in most statistical categories, the ones that truly jump off of the page as contributors were offensive rebounds and turnovers. These statistics accounted for a grand total of 54 points, as the team scored 31 points off of turnovers and 23 second chance points.
LSU held a double-digit lead (17-6) in offensive rebounds at the end of the game, which accounted for rebounds on about half of their misses. Head coach Will Wade gave credit to those who contributed a lot of offensive rebounds, like Darius Days (5) and Tari Eason (3), but he also gave Xavier Pinson credit as well for reasons that don’t show up on a stat sheet.
One of the key differences between LSU with Pinson and LSU without him is how much the ball moves around the floor. You can almost describe the offense as fluid with him in, as opposed to static and slow with him out.
“If we can keep the defense stirred up, keep them moving and keep them in rotation, we’ll get on the offensive glass a lot more,” Wade mentioned. “And that’s one of the things y’all ask all the time, about what Pinson brings, right?”
“The ball moves, so then when the ball moves, we can find mismatches.”
Pinson might have helped create situations better suited for the team to get offensive rebounds in, but you still need someone who can actively grab those boards. And as I mentioned earlier, the person who contributed the most to that was Darius Days.
Days has averaged a double-double (13.3 points and 10 rebounds) since recovering from the injury he suffered against Alabama. When asked if he had changed anything within his playstyle that upped his rebounding numbers, his answer was simple.
“Just stop sticking by [the] three-point line,” Days said. “That’s what it is. Just being around the rim waiting more than I’ve been in the past.”
Days’ rebounding played a huge role in kicking off and maintaining the 19-2 run that helped the Tigers break away from the Bulldogs at the end of the half. He had six rebounds during the run, including three offensive rebounds that led to six second chance points, four of which were the points that got the ball rolling initially.
Couple that with another dominant stretch of rebounding and scoring to start the second half for the senior leader and you have an incredibly impactful performance.
While their performance on the offensive boards was a pleasant surprise, the turnovers speak for themselves at this point.
Georgia came into the game averaging 14.3 turnovers per game, and that’s something Wade knew he could exploit. The result?
Twenty-six turnovers. To take an already abhorrent average in a category and blow it up is impressive to say the least, but it isn’t a surprise coming from a team that ranks in the top-five in average number of turnovers caused per game.
Overall, the performance was solid, and it further illustrates how much better this team is with Pinson back in the lineup. It’s nothing to get overly optimistic about, as it was still a victory against the worst team in the conference, but it can certainly be considered a good sign.
