LSU freshman guard Tremont Waters has made his share of game winning plays for this young Tiger squad.
Whether it be a steal, an over-the-head pass to sophomore guard Skylar Mays to help knock off Michigan or a game sealing block to notch another big win over Houston, Waters’ jaw-dropping freshman campaign continued to grow Saturday against then-No. 11 Texas A&M.
The Tigers trailed by five with 19 seconds remaining with the ball in Water’s hands. The freshman took three dribbles inside half court and pulled up to drain a 30-foot three pointer which cut the lead to two.
Waters said one thing was going through his mind when he decided to take the deep three with 12 seconds remaining.
“Make a play,” Waters said.
Two missed free throws at the other end by Texas A&M gave LSU the chance to tie or win the game.
“Coach [Will] Wade drew something up and told me to shoot it,” Waters said. “He knows what he’s doing and he said wherever I got the ball to shoot it.”
Waters curled around big-man Duop Reath’s screen, caught the ball in front of the LSU bench and let it fly in double coverage from about a 30-foot distance. The play was drawn up for Waters to catch it closer to the three point line but the A&M defense forced Waters to change the script.
“Range didn’t really matter,” Waters said. “It was going up either way.”
Junior guard Daryl Edwards was on the sideline for the game winning shot. As the ball left Waters’ hands, Edwards knew it had a chance to drop through the net.
“He had a 6’10” defender on him,” Edwards said. “He shoots it from deep all the time so it’s kind of a normal thing now.”
“Tre got a great shot off,” Mays said. “After he hit the first one, we started to believe we have life. Even coach [Greg] Heiar says in film every time he takes a difficult shot, he calls those T-dub shots.”
Wade said it’s important for the team to turn the page quickly after a big win. The Tigers have lost all three games following a win over a top 40 club this season.
“Tre bailed us out in the end which is what great players do,” Wade said. “We need to prepare the right way just to give ourselves an opportunity in the last six minutes.”
LSU is now 2-0 on the road after winning just two road games all season last year. Mays said being undefeated on the road sits in the back of his mind knowing the kind of struggles this team had last season.
“That’s what all those road games we had in the summer are for,” Mays said. “Helps you with the mentality and reminds you how hard it is to win on the road.”
What has Waters done since the win against A&M?
“Sleep,” Waters said. “Trying to rest my body and get in the ice bath. I can’t think about this game winner anymore. I’m just trying to regroup and think about the next one.”