Tigers host slipping State in must-win spot

By Hunt Palmer

At 1-6, LSU’s hopes at postseason relevance hang in the balance this week.

It starts with a home game against a Mississippi State team in free fall. The Bulldogs have lost five games in a row by an average of 18.2 points per game. Kentucky smashed State by 23 at Rupp. Alabama won by 15 in Starkville. Ole Miss went on the road and won a rivalry game by a point. Then A&M clocked the Bulldogs by 20 in College Station. In their last outing, Mississippi State lost at home to Vanderbilt by 32.

It’s been ugly.

LSU, meanwhile, isn’t winning. That’s the most important thing. But the Tigers have been competitive. Plus, LSU handled its business in the non-conference when Mississippi State was losing to San Francisco, SMU, New Mexico and Kansas State (by 21).

It’s been a good early run for Chris Jans in Starkville, but this team doesn’t appear to have it. The Bulldogs are 2-5 in league play and ranked No. 106 in the NET where LSU is No. 46.

With this one in the Maravich Center and 2-5 South Carolina waiting in Columbia on Saturday (yes, I saw the first matchup), LSU is going to need two wins this week to stay above water.

HOLD HUBBARD

Junior guard Josh Hubbard loves purple and gold. He’s taken a flamethrower to the Tigers since becoming a Bulldog, scoring at least 24 points in all four matchups and averaging 28 points per game with 17 made threes.

He’s scored 30 on LSU twice.

Mississippi State is not a good offensive team. The Bulldogs, despite playing lightning fast and ranking 17th in the country in field goal attempts, are 123rd nationally in points per game and No. 192 in offensive efficiency.

Hubbard is the offense, and someone in a home uniform Wednesday has to make sure he doesn’t drop 30.

SLUMPING SHOOTING

These two teams are a combined 3-11 in league play, so it’s no surprise that they’re struggling to shoot the ball.

Mississippi State is shooting 21 percent from deep over the last three games. LSU was 6-for-26 from deep last week for only 23 percent. LSU’s defense has been an elixir for slumping shooting this year. The Tigers rank 223rd in three-point defense nationally.

On paper, State should struggle to exploit that, but to this point that hasn’t mattered. Teams have still torched the LSU defense. Vanderbilt, Florida and Arkansas lighting it up is one thing. Mississippi State, which ranks 208th in the country in field goal percentage, doing it is another altogether.

DISH IT, DJ

DJ Thomas was always going to have to shake off rust. He’s done that in the two games since returning.

In Gainesville, he played 16 minutes and was 1-for-8 from the floor. He upped those minutes to 31 at Arkansas and was 6-for-19. The more telling stat to me is the assists. Over those 47 minutes, he’s got eight. That’s not a bad total, but for LSU to be at its best, it needs to be north of that.

He had three double-digit assist games in the non-conference and was averaging nearly eight per game. This is a step up in competition, but he can approach those numbers against the bottom of the SEC. State’s defensive efficiency is No. 193 nationally. Hubbard is a scorer from the point, not a lock down defender. Thomas needs to be more efficient both from the floor and with his assists.

Tipoff is set for 6:00 in the Maravich Center. LSU is a 6.5-point favorite.