A couple of other tidbits/reactions. First, to some of the home cooking stuff, I was mistaken, it was actually for the game, 28 fouls called on us, and 14 called on them--the 16 to 7 was just in the second half. That said, Bama's shooting percentage even from the line was not anything to write home about, and they probably kept the game close by only hitting 60+% from the FT line. As Gumbo said, a 8 point, 10 rb game from Chris Johnson wasn't bad for SEC play. Hopefully his confidence is coming around. Secondly, I didn't realize that Tas' and Garrett sat out for a lot of the game due to quick fouls... again, chalk that up to the home court. The other thing you can take from this, is (1) Trent played a little zone in a key part of the second half, which I think is going to be effective at times in SEC play, and (2) this is a game where LSU got down several times, but found ways to keep in the game. At least the guys aren't quitting (which was apparent last season), and that says something about learning to win. You can call the game ugly if you want, but LSU is either going to look pretty good (when their outside shots are falling), or they're going to look ugly (when they have to foul). We'll see how Trent continues to evolve his defense to help LSU match up against SEC competition, and coaches the offense to rely more on motion and driving to the hoop for easier points for our guards (and getting to the line, if they can get the call). Overall, considering the things working against the Tigers at 'Bama, a six point loss in the opening game is probably a good learning point... What Trent/the Advocate had to say... While Alabama never let LSU catch up, the Tigers never faded away either. The Tide got the lead to six points or more 15 times, including a second-half lead of nine points. But the Tigers chipped away every time. “I never felt like we were in a situation like we were in Utah (a 91-61 loss on Tuesday) where the game was going to get away from us,” Johnson said. “We had two and a half solid days of practice (after the Utah game) for the most part. We were embarrassed by our performance. These guys are tough though, they don’t quit. They fight. “We had a chance, it’s just unfortunate that we were in foul trouble.” BTW, congrats to Coach VC, who's young Lady Tigers are 2-0 in the SEC beating 'Bama by 21 over the weekend in another "ugly" game. Defense and hustle can win you some games. :geauxtige
its gonna happen a lot unless ctj gives the bench significant PT early in games. fouls from these two are because of mismatches they will have all season. i was somewhat surprised how effective it was considering LSU's frontcourt rebounding deficiency. but i chalk it up to general effectiveness of switching defenses (i think it should be done a few times a game just for this reason alone) and bama's ineptitude (i cant believe gottfried is still there).
Thanks for the reminder! :bncry: I really doubt that, whatever the case- school alumnus reffing the game like in 2004? No Bama grad could make it as anything that requires... oh wait, this is a ref we're talking about. Never mind.
