Twenty games into the season, the LSU men’s basketball team have struggled to emerge as contenders, a prediction many made when they were ranked last in the SEC preseason rankings.
The team still has lineup questions at the small forward position, but has found bright spots in senior forward Duop Reath and freshmen guard Tremont Waters.
The small forward position for the Tigers has been up in the air for nearly all of SEC play. An injury to junior Brandon Sampson in the Maui Invitational allowed Randy Onwuasor, a senior graduate transfer from Southern Utah, and junior college transfer Daryl Edwards to earn playing time.
Edwards started the first four conference games for the Tigers averaging 3.5 points per game. Edwards’s struggled to capitalize on his opportunities despite getting nearly 66 minutes of playing time.
His best game of the season came against the then ranked No.11 Texas A&M Aggies when he scored eight points in 25 minutes.
Sampson returned to the starting lineup against the Georgia Bulldogs where he scored 17 points in 26 minutes of play. Despite the big night the Tigers still lost by one point. Sampson started one more game for the Tigers scoring three points in 19 minutes against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Onwuasor is LSU’s most recent starter at the position, getting starts in the last two SEC games.
Onwuasor struggled in his first opportunity against the Texas A&M Aggies, scoring only four points despite a blowout win by the Tigers. Onwuasor got the start against No. 19 Auburn where he scored a season high 14 points, but the Tigers were blown out by 25 points.
The small forward position is the biggest question for Wade moving forward in SEC play. One of the three players need to show consistency on both ends of the floor to earn the trust of coach Wade.
The Tigers need to find a reliable starter in the next few games if they hope to win games moving forward in the SEC play.
Waters has been a bright spot on LSU’s team since his first game as a Tiger. Waters averages 15.2 points per game and 5.8 assist per game leading all Tigers in both categories.
Waters is LSU’s flashiest player, hitting what seem like impossible shots from nearly 35 feet out.
Waters hit one of his signature 35 footers on a last second shot in a huge road win against the then ranked No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies.
Waters has been able to find his shot no matter how teams guard him. Despite his efficiency the team has not been able to win, but with the emerging Reath the Tigers still have an opportunity to turn their season around and bring excitement back to the PMAC.
