By Hunt Palmer
November and December are multi-purposed in this era of college basketball. Almost every team is full of new faces, and Power Five coaches have to schedule with the idea of blending a new team while attempting to build a resume’ for March.
LSU has flirted with disaster twice against Alabama State and Charleston Southern before pulling ahead for wins. LSU also smothered Kansas State in one of those resume helpers last week in Manhattan.
This weekend should present a pair of potential resume boosters as the Tigers hit the road to The Greenbriar for a Friday tilt with Pittsburgh and a Sunday showdown with either Wisconsin or Central Florida.
It begins Friday afternoon at 1:30 central when unbeatens tip things off at Colonial Hall in White Sulpher Springs, W.V.
Pittsburgh has ripped through its first five games, winning by an average margin of 28.6 points per game and winning all of them by at least 15 points.
The Panthers are coached by Jeff Capel in his seventh season at the helm. They hammered hated-rival West Virginia last week, 86-62, in a game the Panthers led by 20 at the half and 31 with just under 13 minutes to play.
KenPom ranks this Pitt team No. 16, and the Panthers are seeking their first 6-0 start since 2018-19.
The Greenbriar is about 5.5 hours from Pittsburgh, so a strongly partisan crowd is not expected, but this will be a big test for the Tigers. Here’s what I’m watching for:
Old Man Strength
These two teams are guard-oriented, and the guards are old. You know about Jordan Sears, Cam Carter and Dji Bailey. Meet Ishmael Leggett (6’3”, 185 lbs. Sr.), Damian Dunn (6’5”, 205lbs. Grad-Houston) and Jaland Lowe (6’3”, 175 lbs. Soph).
These six guys are going to go at it all game long, and it should be a show.
Leggett was the ACC 6th Man of the Year last season, and he’s become the go to option for this Pitt team. He’s scoring 17.6 ppg while shooting 8-for-17 from the three point line and 65 percent from the floor. He’ll pull up from three or put on the deck, but it’s his strength that impresses me.
Dunn was brought in from Houston, and he’s been remarkably efficient. He’s scoring 15.2 points per game while shooting 10-for-19 from three point range. He’s only turned the ball over twice in five games.
Carter and Bailey will draw Leggett and Dunn. Those guys were brought in to play excellent perimeter defense. Here’s another shot.
Lowe will run the point. At 6-foot-3, he’s got a size advantage on Sears. That’s no surprise. Lowe has a team-high 29 assists in five games. He defers to the other two often, but he’s not afraid to score. He’s averaging 13.6 ppg without getting it going from deep. The impressive stat for Lowe is 21-for-22 from the free throw line. He’s a potential game closer with those numbers.
Turnovers, Anyone?
Pitt has done an awesome job of taking care of the ball. The Panthers haven’t turned it over more than 11 times in a single game and average just nine per game. That’s 18th in the country. LSU didn’t turn Kansas State over much, but these Tiger guards have the ability to do it. Bailey and Sears were elite steals guys last year. Maybe this group will be comfortable guarding the ball against the shot clock and clearing rebounds all year. That works fine, but forcing a few turnovers sure makes life easier on the offensive end and limits shot opportunities for the opponent. LSU would like to get that number up closer to 15 for Pittsburgh on Friday.
For Starters
Generally, a 4-0 team doesn’t shake up the lineup. I do have to wonder if Daimion Collins has earned a starting nod with his play the last two weeks. Robert Miller is a great talent, but he’s not exactly filling up the stat sheet. He’s 2-for-12 from the floor, 0-for-9 from three point range and has eight rebounds in 61 minutes of action. His lone offensive rebound of the season came Tuesday night.
Collins has 17 rebounds, seven offensive, and seven blocks in 77 minutes of play. I understand the theory of having a spark come off the bench, but Corey Chest can help you there.
Pitt has real size in the starting lineup with Cameron Corhen (6’10”, 245lbs.) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (7’0” 225) who can get after you on the glass.
LSU has overcome some sluggish starts early on. This game feels like one you’d like to avoid that. Pittsburgh buried West Virginia before halftime.
LSU gets a couple of really nice opportunities this weekend whether it’s Pitt and No. 19 Wisconsin or Pitt and a Central Florida team that has started 4-0 with a win over Texas A&M. A 2-0 result would be fantastic, but 1-1 works nicely. LSU did enough in SEC play last year to make the tournament. It was the November-December meltdown losing to Nicholls, Dayton, Syracuse, Kansas State and Texas that doomed them before Christmas.
A split would feel a little bit like holding serve. Being swept would feel like a step back.
