The LSU men’s basketball team has a little added incentive to bring home a win when they play at Auburn tonight.
As LSU (7-12, 0-5) continues its quest for its first win in Southeastern Conference play, the Tigers will also be looking to avenge their 74-67 loss to the SEC’s other Tigers earlier this month.
LSU’s loss to Auburn was especially frustrating because coach John Brady’s squad blew a 17-point first-half lead at the PMAC.
“We thought we had the momentum going into the second half, and all we had to do was go out and execute and we would seal the victory,” said junior guard Marcus Thornton after the loss. “But it was the other way around.”
Auburn shot 69 percent from the field during its 46-point second half to leave LSU wondering what had happened.
While LSU still may not have won a game in more than a month, the team has shown some improvements.
After grabbing 28 rebounds and blocking no shots against Auburn two weeks ago, the Tigers have averaged 37.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in two games – including freshman forward Anthony Randolph’s 19 rebounds at Vanderbilt and four second-half blocks against Arkansas.
“Our defense has gotten better, and our rebounding – in spite of our limited numbers and size – is a little bit better,” Brady said. “But … at some point, we’ve got to be able to manufacture a few goals.”
The Tigers have successfully bettered their rebounding and defense since junior forward Quintin Thornton’s return against Ole Miss from a preseason injury. And the number of healthy players Brady has to work with may continue to grow this week.
Junior center Chris Johnson returned to full-contact practice this week and said he is ready to go against Auburn.
“It’s coach Brady’s decision, but I feel like I can play,” Johnson said.
The junior’s return will give LSU much-needed height after the Tigers’ back-to-back losses to bigger teams and a looming tussle in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this Saturday against the Crimson Tide and the SEC’s leading rebounder, junior forward Richard Hendrix.
Johnson’s 6-foot-11-inch frame would give the Tigers a decisive height advantage against an Auburn team that played only one man taller than 6-feet-6-inches in the teams’ Jan. 16 matchup.
“From a coaching perspective, how they play defense and how they switch everything – we just need to be aware of who they are, because they’re small and quick,” Johnson said.
Auburn’s switching of defenders when LSU sets picks could provide LSU’s big men with some mismatches in the low post.
After freshman forward Garrett Green passed the ball out of a similar situation in Monday’s practice, assistant coach John Treloar told Green to pay attention to who was on him and back a smaller player down to the basket.
“We’re trying to do some things to create some things for our team to get some shots, get some easier baskets,” Brady said. “And hopefully when we do have opportunities to score, the ball will go in.”
LSU boasts an SEC-low 42.5 field goal shooting percentage. Auburn shoots 48.4 percent – good enough for second-best in the conference.
—-Contact Jerit Roser at [email protected]