January 22, 2022
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TODAY’S COLUMN:
Scott discusses LSU Men’s & Women’s Basketball
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
How good is LSU basketball? Whether it is the men or women, everyone is trying to figure out if they should buy into the success of the Tigers and jump on the bandwagon.
I get it. The men seem to always have something incredible get in the way. It is always something such as NCAA investigations, a pandemic, an injury, a star player that is more about himself than LSU, or the just the inconsistency of the program this century.
The women have not been good for a while. Coach Mulkey warned us that the program would not turn around overnight. I know the stability and elite status will take a while. Nevertheless, this program has turned around.
Still, Tiger fans are cautious and wonder how well these two teams can sustain their success this year. Before you get your hopes up, I do not know. What I do know is that while these teams are flawed, in order to lose, they are going to have to be beat by teams that play very well.
The women have two large weaknesses. This first is a lack of depth. Fortunately, Autumn Newby is not seriously hurt. LSU really tries to get by playing only 6-7 players, so not having Newby is tough to handle. The other weakness is that LSU has small guards, big posts, and almost nothing in between. As a result, they just do not match up well with certain teams.
Of course, most college teams have weaknesses. The good news is that this team has some strengths that give opponents fits.
Khayla Pointer is the real deal. She is very athletic, handles the ball, sees the floor, can score, and defend. I may be missing someone, but I am pretty sure I can call her the best point guard at LSU since Temeka Johnson and I would be correct.
LSU´s post players are a handful. They rebound and finish. Just like an offensive and defensive line in football, a strong inside presence in basketball leads to consistency.
In addition, Morris and Cherry are very quick guards that can score. The fact that LSU has 3 guards that can handle, shoot, and penetrate usually means that one of them has a mismatch.
Of course, the greatest strength of this team is the coaching and experience of this team. The top six players are all seniors or graduate students. The chemistry of this group, the belief they have in each other, and their coach are going to put them in position to make a strong run in the NCAA Tournament.
As for the men, we know their weakness is scoring in half court offense. They just do not have the one guy to go make a play or draw so much attention that it makes it easier for other guys to score. That player, Adam Miller, tore his ACL before the year. That is not to say that different guys cannot and do not step up from time to time. But as we saw against Arkansas, there are times when scoring in the half court is simply a challenge.
LSU is frequently able to overcome this problem by scoring in transition, especially off turnovers. The problem is that LSU only tries to score in transition off stops or turnovers. When the other team takes care of the ball, scores a few possessions in a row, or shoots a lot of free throws (which is often in league play), LSU is forced to operate against a set half court defense.
Earlier in the year, I was concerned about LSU´s depth, especially at guard. Fortunately, Justice Williams got healthy and LSU took off his redshirt. Now, Shareef O‘Neal is getting back into the swing. He brings versatility and insurance in case Efton Reid continues to struggle.
There are very few, if any, games in the SEC that are “layups.” Winning on the road is very difficult and late January to middle February can be a grind in a conference as good as the SEC is now in basketball.
So, is LSU as good as they looked to be a week ago after beating Tennessee and Kentucky? Probably not. Auburn is the best team in the league. Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, and Alabama belong in the next group. I do not know why Alabama has struggled recently, but considering their talent the last two weeks will be the low point of their season, and in the end they will be at the top of the league.
Fortunately, being a part of this group means LSU is a top 10-20 team. Each of these teams are going to be 3-5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and should have a great shot at the Sweet Sixteen. Get the right draw or a good break and that could lead to the Elite Eight. Get the wrong draw or a bad break and LSU could lose in the first weekend. Regardless, this team is good, will be fun to watch, and we all should jump aboard.
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