LSU basketball coach Will Wade has been known to never sit down and always yell at the top of his lungs.
Maybe these factors are finally motivating his team at the right time as LSU (21-10, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) is playing harder toward the end of the season.
While the Tigers struggled mightily against Arkansas (19-12, 7-11 SEC) by allowing 99 points, LSU came back and won a game that they had to against potential No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards and Georgia (15-16, 5-13 SEC) 94-64.
That win guaranteed the Tigers a double-bye in the SEC tournament, who will now play their first game in the quarterfinals on March 13 at 8 p.m. The start of a tournament that they could easily win if all the pieces fall into place.
Wade will bring the energy and preparation, but it is ultimately up to his team of athletes to show up when asked.
There have been the struggle all season. The Tigers have athletes from sophomore point guard Javonte Smart to freshman forward Trendon Watford and veterans like senior guard Skylar Mays, but some games leave a lot to be desired.
LSU lost to No. 17 Auburn (25-6, 12-6 SEC) by one point, but lost to unranked Vanderbilt by nine, giving the Commodores their first SEC victory in two years. Saying that this team is inconsistent would be an understatement.
Yet, LSU can use this description to their advantage. The Tigers have not mastered consistency but sophomore forward Emmitt Williams can rebound the basketball and play defense down low.
On the perimeter, Mays and Smart are athletes that can hang with any duo of guards from a scoring and defensive perspective.
Put all that together, LSU could win the SEC Tournament and use that success to advance far in March Madness
Or they could lose in the first round of both tournaments and no fan would be surprised.
That is the scariest part about this team. LSU has a tremendous coach and athletes at all positions, but they have not been able to put them together since that loss to Vanderbilt and various other times throughout the season.
For those facts alone, LSU is a dangerous team that demands to be watched.
Smart leads the SEC in assist to turnover ratio, while Mays is averaging 16.7 points per game and almost 40 percent from three-point land. Watford is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.
Those are the stats of players that play for a dangerous team and Wade knows it, hence the outbursts during many close matchups. He knows the potential, and he will do whatever he can to bring it out of them.
But, he also knows the identity of this team and that change is hard to undergo this late in the season.
So, he will have to ride with his inconsistent yet dangerous squad all the way through the tournament, however long that may be.
No matter how far this team decides to go, LSU basketball is relevant and not scared of anyone or anything in their way. The only question that remains is which LSU team will suit up each night?
We will all have to watch and find out.
