Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
LSU needs a bounce back in The Blender.
Six days ago, the Tigers were run off the Ft. Worth floor by Texas Tech in a game that was never competitive. Tech led by 20 in the first half and 3o in the second half.
Was that the only quality opponent exposing LSU’s feather-soft non-conference slate, or was it a shooting aberration? We may get our answer on Saturday night.
SMU, coached by former Florida Gulf Coast and USC head coach Andy Enfield, is off to a 9-1 start. This will be the fourth consecutive SEC opponent for Enfield’s Mustangs.
They won 87-81 in overtime at Mississippi State. Vanderbilt got after them and dealt SMU its only loss of the season, 88-69, in Nashville. Last Sunday the Ponies ran by Texas A&M in the overtime period to win 93-80.
This SMU team loves to play fast. Only 12 teams in the country play more possessions. Matt McMahon likes that tempo generally, but if LSU wants to run, they’re going to have to keep up with some really good guards and a team that ranks 15th in the country in scoring.
A win on Saturday night for LSU does a little bit to cover up last week’s disaster. A loss brings the months of November and December into serious question as LSU gets ready to enter conference play. It’s about that cut and dried.
Tipoff will be at about 7:30 as part of the doubleheader with the women in the Compete 4 Cause Classic.
HOLD THE LINE
These two teams have one obvious strength. The winner of the battle may win the game. These two bury teams at the free throw line. LSU ranks 14th in the country in free throws made per game. SMU ranks 16th.
The Tigers have won the free throw line in every game but the loss to Texas Tech. SMU has made 20-plus from the charity stripe in five games.
Both teams attack off the dribble from the perimeter and have imposing size at the rim. Whichever group can defend without fouling will have a great chance to win the game.
GUARD THE GUARDS
SMU’s offense runs through its guard tandem.
Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre are studs on the perimeter for the Mustangs. Miller is the 6-foot point guard. Pierre, a St. Aug grad making a homecoming, mans the wing at 6-foot-5.
Miller does it all. He’s averaging a team-best 20.6 points per game while shooting 40 percent from deep and 93 percent from the free throw line.
SMU’s Boopie Miller has ultimately looked like one of the best guards in the nation.
He’s led SMU to 9-1 start so far, producing all conference level production, with 21 PPG, 4 RPG and 6.8 APG on 46/39/92 splits
Can change the entire tempo of the game, he’s so damn good off… pic.twitter.com/BocTSd9Qq8
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) December 11, 2025
He scored 28 points with five threes on Mississippi State. he went 10-for-10 from the free throw line on Texas A&M. Plus, he’s got three double digit assist games to his name.
The Dedan Thomas-Miller matchup will be a good one.
Pierre is just a walking bucket. He scored 35 on Texas A&M and has 60 points and two assists in the last three games. He’s out there to score. LSU may have a weakness defensively at the two guard spot. Max Mackinnon is not a great defender, and neither is PJ Carter. Those guys are out there to shoot.
Someone has to guard Pierre.
SHOOTING SLUMP
After a blistering offensive start to the season, LSU is in a three-half slump. Yes, I’m omitting overtime in Boston. That’s cheating, but work with me. If I’m allowed to scrap those five overtime minutes against Boston College, LSU has been awful since halftime of that game.
In 60 minutes of basketball, LSU is 30-for-97 (31%) from the floor, 5-for-35 (14%) from three and has scored 82 points (57 ppg). That simply won’t cut it. The Tigers coughed up a double-digit halftime lead against BC and got trounced by Texas Tech.
Mackinnon is absurdly streaky. Against Tarleton State, Omaha and DePaul, he’s 13-for-17 from three. That’s 76 percent! In the other six games he’s 2-for-22. That’s nine percent!
There has to be somewhere in the middle.
Thomas is shooting just 26 percent from deep. That number has to come up, too.
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