By Hunt Palmer
LSU got on the board Tuesday with a win over Arkansas. Now a brutal three-game stretch awaits.
It’s starts in College Station on Saturday where the Tigers will travel to face the No. Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena.
The biggest storyline in the game is the availability of Aggie point guard Wade Taylor IV. Taylor has missed the last three games for the Aggies because of “knee tightness”. To say he’s important would be underselling Taylor’s ability. Friday night, A&M’s availability report suggested he’ll give it a go.
He’s a two-time 1st Team All-SEC player who set Aggie records for three pointers made and points by a junior last season. He can score at all three levels and leads A&M in assists this season.
We’ll see how much he can give the Aggies.
LSU played to its strengths on Tuesday. The Tigers put the ball in the hands of senior guards Cam Carter and Jordan Sears (28 of 55 shots). They made free throws (93 percent). They got to the offensive glass (12 offensive boards).
The issues were still glaring, though. That’s 15 more turnovers and 17 offensive rebounds given up.
Mike Williams gave the Tigers productive minutes for the first time this year, and Daimion Collins used his length to block four shots and grab 10 rebounds.
Candidly, the odds are long for LSU to either beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa or win at home against Auburn. If the Tigers want to stay afloat, this is one they need to steal. If not, 1-6 is very likely. That feels worlds different than 2-5 when you’re trying to scratch and claw to seven or eight wins.
LSU has fared well at Reed Arena. Famously Tremont Waters flung in two heaves from beyond 30 feet to steal a win in 2018. A year later LSU won by 15 at A&M. Last year the Tigers were sizeable underdogs and scored a convincing 15-point win on the road.
It will take a strong effort to get that done Saturday evening.
RELENTLESS REBOUNDING
Texas A&M may not be pretty on the offensive end, but they’re effective. These stats won’t blow you away: No. 90 in offensive efficiency, No. 244 in assists per game, No. 235 in shooting percentage (worst in the SEC).
Well, how do they score?
No one rebounds better on the offensive end. The Aggies are No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage and offensive rebounds per game. They hound the glass from start to finish.
It’s not a group of 6-foot-11 leapers. They’re all about 6-foot-8 and instinctive. Pharrell Payne (6’9”, 250), Henry Colman III (6’8”, 250), Soloman Washington (6’7”, 220) and Andersson Garcia (6’7”, 200) are not lottery picks or towers. They just swarm the backboards.
A&M grabbed 23 offensive rebounds on Alabama and 21 on both Oregon and Creighton. However, Kentucky lowered that number to 11 and held A&M to just 69 points.
LSU ranks No. 325 of 364 in offensive rebounds allowed per game. If the Aggies get 21+ offensive rebounds, turn off the Reed Arena lights. If that number comes down closer to 15, the Tigers should have a shot.
Remember, A&M is the worst shooting team in the league.
FREE THROW FIGHT
LSU shoots 76.3 percent from the free throw line. That’s second best in the SEC to Oklahoma.
The Tigers bludgeoned Arkansas at the line, making 26-of-28 in a four-point game. That’s a recipe Matt McMahon wants to see more of.
Buzz Williams feels the same way. The Aggies don’t shoot it well from the floor, but they do get to the line. They’re No. 17 in the country in opponent fouls per game and No. 21 in the country in the percentage of their points they get from the foul line.
Both teams want to drive and draw contact. And both do a good job on the offensive glass which inevitably creates free throw chances.
YES, I CAM
You hate to do this, but LSU’s offensive hopes really rest on one player. Cam Carter has to score, and he’s got to do it efficiently.
Tuesday, he shot 47 percent from the floor and made all 10 of his free throws. He scored 27 points, and LSU scored 78. Last weekend in Oxford he took 18 shots, but he only shot 39 percent and never shot a free throw. That netted 16 points, and LSU scored 65. He scored 16 at Missouri on 5-of-15 shooting. LSU scored 67.
Sears will get his shots up, and he needs to make some threes, but Collins, Chest and Bailey aren’t going to score 18 points individually. Neither are Vyctorius Miller or Mike Williams. The only guy LSU can turn to for 25 points is Carter.
He scored 11 against Pittsburgh, LSU scored 63 and lost. He shot 54 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three at Kansas State. LSU scored 76 and won.
It’s not ideal, but LSU has to have Carter every night.
