Having lost four of its last five games, the LSU basketball team has struggled down the stretch, especially against tougher opposition.
LSU is winless this season against teams ranked in the top-25, highlighted by recent losses against Alabama and Texas Tech. The Texas Tech loss was a heartbreaking loss for the Tigers after leading Texas Tech by seven points with under a minute to play. LSU Head Coach Will Wade felt like the Tigers played well and made progress against Texas Tech but were unable to close the game out.
“We played well enough to win against a very good ball club,” he said, “and we couldn’t close it out so it’s very disappointing.”
Apart from just losing the game against Texas Tech, the Tigers also lost key starter and leading rebounder Darius Days to a knee injury in the second half. Days appeared to seriously injure his left ankle, but according to Wade there is no structural damage.
“There’s no structural damage, nothing’s torn,” Wade said. “It’s more of a knee [injury] but he’ll be out for a couple of weeks probably.”
Days has been a key contributor to this LSU team all season averaging 12.1 PPG and a team leading 7.9 RPG. Rebounding has been a weakness for this LSU team all season and losing its leading rebounder will only present even more of a challenge. LSU will have to rely on players like Trendon Watford, Shareef O’Neal and Josh LeBlanc Sr. to try to replace Days’ production on the glass. Shareef O’Neal will likely be called on most to try to replicate Days’ production on the glass as well as step up offensively, and Wade is confident that O’Neal can take that step.
“He’s a great offensive player,” Wade said. “He’s a really good shooter, he does a good job finishing around the basket, I believe in him.”
O’Neal has battled injuries throughout this season and the Tigers are hopeful that he can get back to full speed and have a similar impact that Days had. His impact on the glass has already been felt by LSU, but with Days out he will have to step up offensively to replicate the problems Days caused teams with his ability to stretch the floor. Even with players like O’Neal filling in for Days, his production will be hard to replace. LSU averages 116 points per 100 possessions with Days on the floor, but just 99 points per 100 possessions with Days not on the floor.
LSU will also have to rely on its leaders and experienced players to get back on track and make a run down the stretch this season. Javonte Smart, Trendon Watford and Cam Thomas will be relied on even more offensively going forward with Days out. Smart turned in his best performance of the season against Texas Tech with 29 points but was far from satisfied after the heartbreaking defeat.
“It’s very frustrating,” Smart said. “It’s all on us, we lost the game, and we have to get better.”
Smart’s 29-point performance reminded many fans of his breakout game against Tennessee back in 2019 where he scored 29 points in an upset win. Despite the loss, Wade was proud of the performance of his point guard against Texas Tech.
“I thought he played one of his best games of his LSU career,” Wade said. “I was proud of him.”
LSU has struggled throughout the season playing against tougher opponents, and that is something that must be fixed heading into the final stretch of the season. LSU is loaded with four- and five-star talent and has shown how great they can be offensively, and with improvements on defense, this team can compete with anybody. Wade believes however, that even in these recent losses, his team his growing and making progress.
“There was progress made in the game [against Texas Tech],” Wade said. “If we just continue to make progress we’ll get to where we want to go, we just have to continue to make that progress.”
Even after another tough loss to Alabama, there are still plenty of big games left on the schedule for this LSU team. The next month of games is critical for the Tigers with Selection Sunday just over five weeks away. However, with the talent that LSU can put on the floor, just a few improvements can take this team to an elite level.