Sweet 16 if the bracket is right. The tourney typically comes down to guard play, but LSU could make it farther if they play smart (defense, pound it down low. Repeat.)
Let's all try to stay grounded here... and let's not let all of the new found "media love" get us carried away here. Before the season started let's remember that most national pubs had the Tigers in the 30s and perhaps a "two & out" team in the tourney. Thus, if we went with reasonable minds and what was expected out of this bunch, we'd win our first game and lose in the second round to what was probably a top 20 team in the country. I agree however, that this team has over achieved this year and is playing well right now. A lot can still happen and I'd rather handicap the team after the full SEC season. My sense is though, that if they continue to play the way they're playing right now, it DOES start to become important for Brady what kind of seed and how high of a seed he can get. The better the seed, theoretically, the better draw he can get and potentially farther the Tigers can get. I think realistically, the Tigers can most likely at the highest get a 3 seed, and if so, they're playing a 14 seed in the first round and then a 6 or 11. So, I think a sweet 16 (a "three & out") is possible and would be a great accomplishment for this young team. If less realistically, they run the SEC table and impress in the SEC tourney as the likely "top" team in the SEC, they could get a #2 seed, and perhaps they get lucky and go farther based on matchups with a 15 and then a 7 or 10, and if they get lucky a weak #3 seed. If the Tigers stumble a little in the SEC, and wind up with a 5-8 seed (like they have in the past), then it's a tough draw from game one. All said, I'm making a lot of assumptions about how the Tigers will respond in the tourney. Dale Brown's teams always seemed to surprise as underdogs in the tourney so it didn't matter if we were a 6 or 9 seed, whereas Brady has yet to prove himself in the tourney in those spots (our sweet 16 team in '00-01 was a pretty high seed, 3 or 4, I think). I'd prefer an easier draw... the last few tourneys have yielded unfavorable draws for our Tigers.
having success is about getting the right match ups, maybe catching a break with upsets in your bracket, having great D, great rebounding, multiple options on O, having the ability to adjust to and be successful against multiple defenses and being resilient. we'll see about the first two--obviously higher seeding helps. this team has a good D, good rebounding, and two solid options on O with a 3rd developing. they do pretty well against m2m because of athleticism, can handle a press, and have become better against some zones. they are quite resilient. before, i thought this team would have the most problem with experienced overacheiving teams (N Iowa) that would slow it down and hit shots, but now this team is more consistent. now the biggest problem is teams with good guards and a skilled post player with size. we'll see what happens against UK and UF.
