you may be surprised re: the recruiting, LSU isn't really a basketball school.... YET! coach johnson will get us there in time, but we're still not quite there. we basically rely on local talent. like coramprat said, basketball is only a slight distraction falling between Tigers football and baseball. that being said, there are quite a few fervent LSU basketball fans around. i've enjoyed following this team this season even though my knowledge of basketball isn't as vast as my knowledge of football and baseball. nonetheless, this team is exciting to watch! you should know that the LSU team that shows up will be hard to predict. we can come out balling like we did against UK (both times,) or we can come out flat like... well, like most of our losses. i guess that's true of every team, but if Butler jumps out on LSU, the Tigers are liable to get frustrated. i've found that this team is at its best when it's taking its time and running a set offensive scheme. once they start rushing, they can get a bit wild and go on realllllly long offensive droughts. but do know that we can play defense. hopefully you guys have some scorers because if not... well, LSU will get their points. :wink:
Great thread and love the hoops talk! Thanks for sharing. Agreed on the earlier comment. Don't judge on "depth". I think the difference at a school like Butler is that kids go to mid-majors to play 4 years and get an education. Chances are your "depth" is more experienced and won't make mistakes when in. LSU's depth is generally younger and more inexperienced and does make mistakes, with the exception of Quinton Thornton and Terry Martin who are the go to bench players--both seniors. I think the thing that you and Gumbo have left out in my mind are just plain matchups. The main thing about LSU is stopping Marcus Thornton. The guy is a SG who is being scouted for the NBA. I hope he's not reading this and isn't getting anything close to a big head for this tourney, but he's a very hard guard to stop---can shoot it out to 25 feet and can take it to the rack. This year with CTJ's tutelage, the guy's boarding hard and making smarter plays. I'd be concerned with Butler's guards not having played against a guy like that. If you focus on MT, which many schools do, do you let Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Temple and Bo Spencer beat you? So, with a strictly man to man d for Butler, how long does that work and how well is LSU hitting their shots. For LSU, I think the biggest concern is the mental aspect of playing a Butler. Being in a close high 50s low 60s game, where every possession counts, every FT counts, and playing for 40 full minutes and not having a lapse, was up until about 4 games ago, something LSU could handle. Now, I'm curious if the Tigers can bounce back. I think LSU will guard well, but the key is will they be patient on offense or will they be jumpy in the tournament? Will they be in the flow and hit their shots, or will they get frustrated and rush? In years past, the psyche of the team was their biggest impediment and I think for this tournament, that remains. It's definitely being written up as one of the marquee first round games, matching the SEC champs vs Horizon League champs (and of course, a Basketball school), and one of the first to tip off. So, I'm psyched! Good luck.
Nice post and insight. We are starting to get an invasion of some LSU posters now on the board that is comical for several reasons. 1) The time the guys is taking to write these posts 2) The responses he is getting. Some people take the game to serious and assume no poster has a sense of humor. I am sure the posts are mainly for laughs, but entertainment to me and direspect to another. My guess is Willie Veasley will draw the defensive assignment. Can play bigger than he is but also quick and can run around the floor. It will be interesting to see who matches up with Gordon Hayward from LSU. I think he will be the key. He has struggled down the stretch but if he gets hot we may get lucky and pull the upset!!
Basketball Lesson From LSU Fan http://buhoops.yuku.com/topic/3685 10 Reasons LSU will Beat Butler http://buhoops.yuku.com/topic/3681
I have issues with someone going to another board and starting crap. I wouldn't go to someones house and start ragging about how ugly ones wife is or his kids are retarded. Same the other way around if he came to my house and disrespected me. I'd punch him in the mouth.
