This is the most excited I have been about LSU basketball since our last final 4 appearance. Headed in the right direction, most certainly. And the momentum being carried into next season is also supported by a top 5 recruiting class. Huge difference. LSU should contend for a top 4 spot in the SEC. May be 2 seasons from really making a splash in the NCAA tourney. But who knows, might be next season if a couple of these freshmen in the 2013 class can make an impact.
When LSU starts hanging championship and tournament banners again . . . the fans will return. The mediocrity of the Brady/Johnson era has taken a toll, but winning will bring fans back. Tickets are expensive and fans want to get their money's worth. It has always worked this way.
I attended the final home game (no, I don't want a cookie). First LSU sporting event my wife and kid have been to, so we enjoyed it. Kinda looked outclassed by Ole Miss, but we didn't do anything flat-out dumb like the days of Brady getting to the tourney and mailing it in. Pretty good attendence (LSU reports 10k+), but a lot of upper level seats were empty. Hope we can win some games in the SEC tourney.
Les Miles started his press conference yesterday by congratulating the Lady Tigers basketball program, and then saying: "It's been a tremendous first year for coach Johnny Jones. He has those guys playing. It is very obvious that they are recruiting well and that the future is very strong in men's basketball."
So I guess no nit? Depressing that a team with all 5 starters capable of putting up 20 and they are not even competitive. They should definitely be better next year with one more year exp for all making up for carmouche but they still have to learn how to play. I hope they aren't stupid, just young.
It was going to be close, which is why everyone watched the selection show at 8 on ESPNU --NIT Bracket Project had LSU as 6 seed NYCbuckets.com had.. First 7 Out of NIT: Florida St., LSU, Texas A&M, Washington, Indiana St., Purdue, Northwestern St. His response to announced NIT field: Two and a half months of bracketing for this. I got 27 of 32 teams correct. All of the teams that made it were in my last 10 out, but still. It was really tough to figure out the bubble this season. The committee had a lot of different options and it decided to go the direction of taking some West Coast teams that it thought could move tickets. Overall I think they did a blah job. I have lot of arguments with what they ultimately came up with. --Bankrollsports.com had... SEC NIT Locks: Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats NIT Bubble : LSU Tigers It really seems as though the SEC is going to have to go through the pain of having at least four teams in the NIT this year. Tennessee and Arkansas both played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament, and Kentucky probably ultimately did so as well. The Rebels were in the NIT as we saw it at the start of the day, but after they knocked off Vanderbilt on Saturday, they are in the dance. The team dropping in is Kentucky. The Wildcats were crushed by Vandy in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, and they really don’t deserve to get into the field of 68 as a result. On the other side of the NIT bubble, LSU remains at least in consideration. Vandy fell off of the NIT line after getting beaten by Alabama, but the CBI could be in the cards for the Commodores as well after such a nice run into the SEC semifinals.
Only 3 SEC Teams got picked....1, 1, 2 seeds Official NIT Bracket: 1. Kentucky* 8. Robert Morris 4. Providence 5. Charlotte 3. Arizona State 6. Detroit 2. Baylor 7. Long Beach St. 1. Southern Miss 8. Charleston Southern 4. Florida St. 5. Louisiana Tech 3. BYU 6. Washington 2. Tennessee* 7. Mercer 1. Alabama* 8. Northeastern 4. Stanford 5. Stephen F. Austin 3. Denver 6. Ohio 2. Maryland 7. Niagara 1. Virginia 8. Norfolk St. 4. St. Joseph’s 5. St. John’s 3. Iowa 6. Indiana St. 2. Massachusetts 7. Stony Brook
I have not checked final RPI.......thought I last saw LSU at about 86 or so which would put them in NIT. I had never heard of auto qualifiers for NIT until tonight, team wins reg season conf title but not picked for NCAA............just another way to let more really small schools play longer.
