By Hunt Palmer
All eyes in Baton Rouge are on visitors from Mississippi.
Alcorn State invades from the Magnolia State for a Tuesday night battle in the Maravich Center. The Braves are 0-5 and have lost three games by more than 20 points. They rank in the 300s in both points per game and points allowed per game.
LSU has torched three overmatched teams early on to the tune of 95.7 points per game and a top 10 shooting percentage in the country. It’s the first time since 1990 that LSU has scored 90-plus in its first three games.
Two more home games remain before LSU’s trip to the Florida panhandle on Thanksgiving weekend and a trip to Boston College for the ACC/SEC Challenge on December 3.
MILLER TIME
I’m watching the development of Robert Miller as this early season progresses. He’s actually leading LSU’s front court in minutes per game at 22.9. Jalen Reed and Michael Nwoko are at 18 minutes per contest. Miller has done an awesome job getting to the foul line and making those chances. He’s 13-for-16 from the charity stripe. He also leads LSU with five blocks.
The SEC is big and physical. Nwoko and Reed are ready for that in terms of bumping shoulders with those guys for 25 minutes per night. That remains to be seen with Miller who is 20-30 pounds lighter.
Alcorn State doesn’t have any size. Still all of Miller’s reps are important as LSU cultivates the depth that never materialized last season.
SHOOTING SHANE
The lone bright spot for Alcorn State early has been Shane Lancaster. The 6-foot-4 guard made seven three against South Alabama and is a sizzling 14-for-25 (56%) from deep this year. He’s also buried 15-of-17 free throws. He and Jameel Morris are the only Braves averaging double figures.
DEDAN DISHING
DJ Thomas leads the SEC in assist average at 7.3 per game. It’s fun to watch him carve through defenses looking to pass. He’s been great throwing lobs and finding cutters.
While all of the shiny offensive stats have been fun to track, Thomas’s continued distribution is going to be the most important aspect of LSU’s offense. The points per game numbers and field goal percentages are going to come down as the competition improves, but Thomas is still going to be the straw that stirs the drink.
Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m.
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