The LSU men’s basketball team showed minimal improvement during the 2010-11 season.
The Tigers struggled to win games, claiming only three Southeastern Conference victories, with four freshmen and no seniors on the roster.
LSU finished in the cellar of the SEC for the second-consecutive season with a 3-13 conference record after going 2-14 in the SEC during the 2009-10 campaign.
This season was billed to be a rebuilding year with the addition of a highly-touted recruiting class.
But it seemed more frustrating than fulfilling as the freshmen had a rough time adjusting to the college game.
LSU hit a low Nov. 16 when Nicholls State beat the Tigers, 62-53, snapping an 82-game home winning streak to in-state schools.
The Tigers went on to go 7-6 in their remaining out-of-conference games.
The first two SEC games gave a glimmer of hope to the Maravich Maniacs.
LSU handled Auburn, 62-55, on the road and then Arkansas, 56-53, at home to start the SEC slate with a surprising 2-0 record.
“It sounds a lot better than 0-2,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said after the Arkansas game. “This is short-lived if we don’t play with a sense of urgency and do those things that we talk about — rebounding, defending and taking care of the ball.”
Junior forward Garrett Green came out of nowhere to combine for 28 points and 15 rebounds in the two games.
“We’re all just competing, and we know that it is really hard to win,” Green said after the game. “It feels good to win.”
But the winning ways were short-lived as the Tigers failed to find a “W” in the next 42 days.
LSU lost 10 conference games in a row, including a 38-point loss to Kentucky in Rupp Arena and a 27-point beatdown against Ole Miss in the PMAC.
The Tigers finally snapped their losing streak Feb. 23 when Mississippi State came to Baton Rouge and LSU took care of the Bulldogs, 84-82.
The season ended when a second-half comeback was cut short against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, 62-50, drawing to conclusion another forgettable season.
The men’s basketball program hasn’t experienced as much futility in a two-year stretch since 1996-98.
The final year of former coach Dale Brown’s 25-season career and the first year of the John Brady era also combined for five SEC wins.
Freshman guard Ralston Turner developed into a leader on the court, averaging a team-high 12.3 points a night, but a foot injury kept him out of five games.
Freshman point guard Andre Stringer was second on the squad with 11.2 points a game, but he committed 82 turnovers and struggled to distribute the ball in clutch situations.
Production decreased from junior forward Storm Warren, going from an average of 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds a night in 2009-10 to 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds this past season.
Next season LSU will be without sophomore guard Aaron Dotson, who is transferring to Utah and walk-on point guard Daron Populist, who is pursuing a scholarship.
But the Tigers will welcome freshman center Johnny O’Bryant, guard John Isaac and point guard Anthony Hickey.
Hickey, a Hopkinsville, Ky., native, signed with LSU on May 3.
“Now we have enough players in the program,” Johnson said during his postseason press conference. “There’s not a game we’ll play next year that if we play well, we shouldn’t be able to compete with teams on the road or at home.”
Follow Michael Lambert on Twitter @TDR_Lambert.
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]