By Hunt Palmer
Plenty of SEC fans shove basketball to the backburner until Christmas.
November is college football’s wildest and most consequential month. December is time for conference championship games, bowl games, signing classes, portalling and holidays.
Hoops can wait.
When March rolls around, November and December still count, though. Tournament resume’s don’t come with calendars. You are what the paper says you are.
Last year the paper said LSU was a 9-9 SEC team. It also said Mississippi State was an 8-10 SEC team. LSU was banished to the NIT while the Bulldogs bypassed Dayton, Oh., for an 8-seed in The Dance.
Mississippi State handled its business in the pre-conference. They beat Arizona State, Washington State, Northwestern and Rutgers. Yes, the loss to Southern was a significant blemish, but the good wins trumped it.
Meanwhile, LSU was losing to Nicholls and Dayton. Syracuse beat the Tigers by 23. Texas rolled up 96 points to beat LSU in Houston. Kansas State came to the PMAC and won by 15.
It was a NET disaster.
Fast forward a year, and the Tigers have handled business through the month of November. A neutral site loss to Pittsburgh won’t hurt. Two Big 12 wins over Kansas State and UCF away from Baton Rouge work nicely.
LSU has December to avoid landmines against lesser teams in Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, New Orleans and Mississippi Valley State. Then there are two chances to take on ACC foes in SMU and Florida State who will invade the PMAC Tuesday night.
It would behoove the Tigers greatly to win those two games.
Every bit of insurance you can gobble up before SEC play starts may be necessary because the league is LOADED.
Four teams currently rank in the Top 10 in the AP Poll. Four more join them in the Top 25.
Alabama beat Houston and Illinois. Auburn beat Houston, Iowa State and North Carolina. Tennessee hammered Louisville, Virginia and Baylor by a combined 59 points. Florida spanked Florida State and Wake Forest by double figures. Kentucky handled Duke. Even Ole Miss played Purdue to the buzzer and lost on a tip-in.
You get the picture.
LSU will take its lumps against what appears to be the best conference in college basketball. That means the non-conference resume will need to be clean if the Tigers want to be a bubble or tournament team.
The loss to Florida has been Florida State’s only foray into Power 5 action. It doesn’t appear that the ‘Noles will challenge at the top of a very good ACC. However, based on strength of schedule, Florida State should look good as a non-conference opponent.
A huge key to the season will be the Tigers defending the PMAC. Winning on the road at places like Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arkansas will be a chore.
Tuesday night will be an opportunity to start on the right foot at home.
Put away the turkey and the pigskin (for a couple of hours until the five-star faxes start rolling in). Hang some stockings and lock in on some hoops Tuesday night.
It may matter come March.
