By Hunt Palmer
There’s no sugar-coating LSU’s final three non-conference games.
Stetson, New Orleans and Mississippi Valley State are among the worst teams in Division 1.
LSU discarded Stetson by 46 and took down New Orleans by 16. Sunday night, Mississippi Valley State will meet the same fate.
The Delta Devils rank last among the 364 teams in the NET. They’ve lost all 10 games against D-1 competition. Give them credit for scheduling, though. Sunday will be MVSU’s seventh game against the Power 5. They’ve lost the first six by an average of 44 points including a 72-point defeat at Missouri.
In both offensive and defensive efficiency, MVSU ranks dead last in the country.
The lone wins for the Delta Devils have come against Mississippi University for Women (which is now co-ed) and Oakwood University.
There’s just not much meat on this bone as far as a preview of the actual action. LSU is quite literally playing the worst team in the country. It’s the final chance for a pre-conference tune up as Vanderbilt and the SEC loom on the horizon. There are a few aspects I’ll be watching for.
Slumping Sears
Jordan Sears has had a rough two games. Against Stetson and New Orleans, he’s combined to shoot 4-for-19 from the floor and 2-for-12 from deep. LSU can’t win SEC games if he shoots the ball like that. Cam Carter has been a constant this year. Vyctorious Miller has been hot and cold. Dji Bailey is not going to be a consistent shooter. Sears must be. Two games is hardly a concerning trend. Especially two games where the opponent is so clearly overmatched. But it would do Sears well to knock down three or four threes Sunday night.
Single Shots
We’ve detailed LSU’s struggles on the defensive glass. That’s the biggest issue on the floor right now. It shouldn’t be Sunday. MVSU is No. 347 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage and doesn’t start a player taller than 6-foot-8. LSU needs to crash the glass early and often.
Start to Finish
LSU has struggled to play 40 good minutes. The Tigers did at Kansas State, but that’s really been it. Slow starts plagued LSU early in the season. LSU blistered Stetson in the first half and then gave up 43 second half points. This would be the time to put a complete effort together. My assumption is that the LSU starters won’t be around to finish the last 8-10 minutes of the game, but as long as LSU has its rotational players in the game, they should take control.
Tipoff Sunday evening is set for 6:00.
