Three losses to unranked foes raise familiar questions about LSU
It doesn’t matter that LSU has the favorite to be taken No. 1 overall in next year’s draft, a second incoming McDonald’s All-American and a bevy of talented veterans.
The Tigers still can’t shake their reputation for being perennial underachievers.
LSU lost its third straight game against an unranked opponent on Monday, falling 70-58 at College of Charleston. The Tigers trailed by 22 at halftime and never sliced the deficit to fewer than seven during a frantic second half.
While narrow losses to Marquette and NC State at last week’s Legend’s Classic weren’t exactly encouraging for LSU (3-3), the latest loss is far more worrisome. College of Charleston was projected to finish second-to-last in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll after going 9-24 last season. The Cougars have lost to Davidson and Coastal Carolina already this season and needed two late blocked shots in their previous game to hold off Western Carolina by a single point.
It’s far too early in the season to write off a team as talented as LSU, but the Tigers’ November struggles suggest there’s a real possibility that this year’s NCAA tournament won’t include college basketball’s top prospect. Australian forward Ben Simmons has averaged an impressive 16 points and 15 rebounds and at times has looked unstoppable leading fast breaks, but even his array of talents has been unable to cover up all of LSU’s warts.
The Tigers are at their most inept when attacking a set defense, an issue exacerbated by poor outside shooting and even worse shot selection. In its three losses, LSU has settled for an astonishing 83 threes and has sunk just 25.1 percent of them.
Never have those problems been more apparent than in the second half Monday as the Tigers tried in vain to launch a counterattack. Sometimes they looked tentative and perplexed by Charleston’s 2-3 zone as though they had never seen one before. Other times they took panicky rushed shots like they were trying to whittle away the deficit all at once.
It all added up to 31.1 percent shooting and a frustrating loss. Simmons was no less responsible than his teammates either, shooting 4 of 15 from the field and committing seven of LSU’s 19 turnovers.
One piece of good news for LSU is that Keith Hornsby should return sometime next month after missing all of November while recovering from sports hernia surgery. The veteran guard’s mental toughness and outside shooting could go a long way toward fixing some of the Tigers’ early issues.
LSU also could have time to grow in December against a schedule that isn’t exactly formidable. North Florida is a quality mid-major, Wake Forest is improved and Houston is still unbeaten, but there’s not a ranked opponent on the slate until SEC play begins.
Of course, being the favorite hasn’t always been ideal for LSU.
Last year’s team slipped into the NCAA tournament despite a maddening rash of upset losses. This year’s team could do the same, but its poor start has created an uphill climb.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
