It is officially March Madness, the best time of year for college basketball fans. Despite a heartbreaking loss in the SEC Championship, LSU basketball gave its fans plenty to be excited about in a valiant effort against Alabama.
“I think we put the world on notice,” said sophomore forward Trendon Watford who scored a career high 30 points in the loss.
It was a true heavyweight slugfest in Nashville, with both teams making play after play down the stretch, resulting in one of the best games of the year. In the end, LSU came up short, losing 80-79 after a last second three pointer and multiple tip-in attempts failed to fall for the Tigers at the buzzer. With the SEC Tournament in the rear-view, the Tigers now shift their focus to Indianapolis and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
LSU heads into the 2021 NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and is set to face St. Bonaventure in the first round. St. Bonaventure enters the tournament with a 16-4 overall record, champions of the Atlantic Ten Conference. This is a familiar foe for LSU Head Coach Will Wade, who faced the Bonnies annually during his time coaching at VCU.
“I have a lot of respect for just how good they are,” Wade said. “They’re ferocious competitors. They’re going to be well-prepared, and they’re a tremendous basketball program.”
LSU’s seeding came as a surprise to many, as most experts and analysts projected LSU to land between the No. 5 and No. 7 seed lines. Entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed is no easy task for any team. A win in the first round will more than likely result in LSU playing No. 1 seed Michigan in the Round of 32. Despite the seeding not being what the Tigers expected, Wade is adamant that it will not affect his team’s mentality.
“We’re in the deal. That’s the number one thing, and we’ve got to get ready for Bonaventure,” Wade said.
This matchup will tip-off Saturday at 12:45 p.m. CT and will be an entertaining matchup in possibly the most stacked region in the tournament. The winner of this game will play No. 1 seed Michigan, barring a historic upset from either Mount St. Marty’s or Texas Southern. Michigan is seen by many as the most vulnerable No. 1 seed in the tournament and is a winnable game for LSU, should the Tigers advance.
At this point in the season, it is no secret to anyone that LSU’s potential to make a run in the tournament lies in the hands of its offense. Cam Thomas enters as LSU’s leading scorer and comes in as the top scorer among all Division I freshmen. Thomas has shown flashes of being a truly elite scorer throughout the season and is expected to be relied on heavily throughout the course of the tournament.
LSU enters the tournament with four players averaging double figures in points. The plays of Watford, Javonte Smart and Darius Days have been vital for LSU throughout the season, as those three along with Thomas on average account for over 81% of LSU’s scoring on a per-game basis.
Days averages the fewest points out of the big four but has been the x-factor for the Tigers all season. LSU is 18-1 on the season when Days scores in double figures and 0-8 when he does not. Days is also LSU’s leading rebounder and has been the “glue guy” for this LSU team all season.
Prolific scoring has come to be expected of this LSU team on a nightly basis, but there have been question marks all season surrounding the defense. LSU ranks just 225th in the country in defensive efficiency, with majors struggles in transition and on the defensive glass.
LSU has been statistically horrendous on the glass this season, ranking dead last among teams in the NCAA tournament in defensive rebounding percentage and 336th out of 347 Division I teams playing this season. LSU is best on defense when forcing teams to play in the half court and forcing turnovers through half-court traps.
Another question mark for LSU heading into the NCAA Tournament is how the team’s young players will respond to their first NCAA Tournament experience. Only two LSU players have any NCAA Tournament experience, those being Smart and Days, who played a key role in LSU’s Sweet Sixteen run in 2019. Even Wade has yet to coach the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament after being suspended in 2019 and the 2020 tournament being canceled. Wade believes, however, that the deep run in the SEC Tournament was great experience for his team heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“I think we all got some valuable tournament experience this weekend,” Wade said following the SEC Championship. “Playing tournament basketball is playing tournament basketball.”
After a physically and emotionally grueling weekend at the SEC Tournament, it will be intriguing to see how the Tigers respond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Watford was huge for LSU throughout the tournament and played two of the best games of his career against Ole Miss and Alabama. Despite ultimately coming up short in the SEC Championship, Watford believes that his team still has plenty of momentum to carry into the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re just trying to keep this momentum rolling going into March Madness because I feel like we’re a Final Four team when everyone is clicking,” Watford said.
Watford, along with Days and Smart, have been leaders for this team all season and must continue to provide that leadership during the tournament. Smart, who was instrumental in LSU’s tournament run in 2019, was also in positive spirits after the loss to Alabama.
Despite dropping to a No. 8 seed and falling in the SEC Championship, LSU fans have every reason to be confident in this team heading into March Madness. The SEC Tournament proved that this team not only has the ability, but the grit and the heart to play with anybody in the country. Making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament is never easy, but the Tigers are peaking at the right time and have all the motivation to go out and make a statement in the tournament.
“These are the type of moments growing up as a kid that you live for,” Smart said. “I know we fell short, but I know that we’re just going to push forward come Saturday.”