Here is an evauluation of the Tigers thus far and looking ahead to the rest of the schedule... First off, That tought OOC schedule has done a lot for this team. Playing those tough teams on the road and standing toe to toe with them has given this team confidence and a lil swagger. This team goes into a lot of these games with the mindset that they will take care of business. Having said that, this was the easier part of the schedule. LSU still has to go to Florida,Bama,Vandy and have Kentucky come into the PMAC. I hate to break it to the folks, but there will be some losses. I know its hard to believe, but they will eventually lose. As far as the individual players, here is a quick run down... Garrett Temple- Possibly the most improved player of the year. He started out slow and a liability on the offensive end. Now, he's averaging 8 points a game in the SEC and plays some good defense against tough SEC players. He has definately come on strong. Darrell Mitchell- He is the X factor of this basketball team. Without DMitch this team doesnt work. He is the only consistent outside threat and he runs the show. So Mitch goes, so the team goes. His health and confidence will be vital Tasmin Mitchell- One of the more streaky players on the team. Some days he's on from the field and somedays he cant hit. He is a solid defender and has made a great transition from HS to starting as a 3 man in the SEC. Tyrus Thomas- Where did this guy come from? Last year seeing him in a few exibitions and in the Dunk contest I knew he had the ability to make things happen. I knew he could be a rah rah guy that would get the fans into it with his attitude and his performance. He's very raw and needs to start consistently hitting that mid range shot. Also, not every shot is going to be blocked TT. It's great to get 4 blocks, but 3 goaltends arent that good. He is working on SEC freshmen of the year overshadowing the early favorite Taz. Big Baby- I didnt know how he'd respond to Bass leaving and having to be the Big man. He has done a great job. He hustles, he's always on the floor. He gets fouled a lot and doesnt get the calls. Darnel Lazare-Solid contributor off the bench. He gets garbages buckets and plays hard. I like his attitude on the floor. Ben Voogd- Improving. Great skills as a passer. He gives you 0 on the scoring end. Overall this young team is good. They are good enough to get to the sweet 16. I think they are a year away. They lack depth at guard and if Dmitch finds himself in foul trouble the team is in trouble. It's looking more and more like they will win the SEC but they will lose 3 or 4 games. Florida is going to be tough on the road and so will Vandy. Eventually LSU's home streak of 11 straight SEC wins will come to an end. They will lose 1 or 2 that they shouldnt. Oh, and the SEC West is awful. Look for LSU to finish 12-4, and win maybe 2 in the conference tourney and be somewhere in the neigborhood of a 4 or 5 in the NCAA tourney. Any thoughts?
LSU will lose two games. We will win the SEC & make the Sweet 16. CParso has spoken, and so shall it be.
Its tought to only lose 2 in any conference. Also, LSU will not win the SEC Tourney. I just don't see it. How often does the 1 seed actually win it. Someone will rise up to the occation b/c they know they need it. LSU wil not need the SEC tourney.
we went 6-0 through 6... why are you so hell bent on insisting we will be 7-3 the last 10 games? I have faith we can go 8-2 at the very worst... And how often does the 1 seed win it? Didn't Kentucky win it last year?
Good Luck.... truly... your chances are as good as anyone's. Perhaps Duke and UCONN are a step above... maybe Texas (lost tonight) or Florida (we shall see) are up there, but for the rest of us... we're pretty much alike. We now have 5 teams in the Big Ten tied for the lead, as the Hawks beat tOSU tonight... and every team is capable of winning big AND losing ugly. There's a lot of parity out there. All of us seem to have a talent for keeping games close. Stay healthy, have someone get "hot" and damn near anyone in the top 30 can reach the sweet 16. I see we've both played tOSU and Northern Iowa... with UNI beating both of us. You may be interested to know that UNI's star guard broke his foot the other night and is out for the season. Their season's hopes are over... that's all it takes. So... stay healthy and GOOD LUCK!!!!:thumb:
I am getting very excited about this team! I agree with you about Darrel Mitchell. If he is hot, there is no stopping this team. If he has a bad night, this team can still win, but they seem to struggle.
we shouldnt lose to a team in the west....that bama game will be tough but oh well....if we do lose some conference games they would probably come from the eastern side....anyway geaux tigers!
very superficial analysis. plus, you are wrong about dmitch's importance. certainly he is important, but no more than gd or tmitch. off the top of my head, in the two most disappointing losses, dmitch had good offensive games. tas is most important player and may still be sec frosh OY. this is a TEAM. most teamwork since the overachieving 02 team. pass well--get good shots. rebound well. good help d. surprising control of ball lately. they are learning how to attack different Ds, and most importantly are gaining confidence.
