Sorry if anyone else has posted this already, but this is a great article about LSU's Tournament climb. http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5444566 Bayou's boys bring joy to home state ATLANTA - The boys from Baton Rouge are headed to Indy. LSU climbs tourney ladder LSU defeats Texas 70-60 in yet another overtime thriller. Hear postgame reaction from head coach John Brady, Glen 'Big Baby' Davis and the rest of the Tigers who have a date in Indianapolis next weekend. No one expected this. Not after home losses to Houston and Northern Iowa early in the season. Not after an 8-5 start. But chemistry can go a long way. LSU's top six players all hail from within miles of the school. They're all local kids who have played with and against each other since they were in grade school. Now they are heading to the Final Four together. "There's something in me that says we're not finished yet," LSU coach John Brady said. "It's not over." That depends on the backcourt, because down low the Tigers can match up with anyone — including UConn. The frontcourt duo of Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis was far more aggressive and productive than their counterparts at Texas — LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker. Thomas finished with 21 points and 13 boards and Davis added 26 points and 9 rebounds. Aldridge, who many project as the top overall pick in the NBA draft, was 2-of-14 from the field and scored just four points. Aldridge was invisible for much of the game and there's no question he could use another year in Austin — although the lure of the big bucks that the NBA will toss his way will likely be too much for him to turn down. Thomas displayed the toughness and intensity that is clearly lacking from Aldridge's game at times. The athletic and long 6-foot-9 forward shook off cramps on two separate occasions and had the best offensive game of his brief one-year career. After the game, the LSU-heavy crowd — many of which stuck around — were chanting "One more year" to Thomas. Davis, a former standout running back in high school, looked as though he was hitting the line of scrimmage when he was controlling the paint with authority — and getting critical rebounds and baskets that wore down the heralded Texas frontline. LSU (27-8) has now knocked off top-ranked Duke and No. 2 Texas and the Tigers have advanced to their first Final Four since 1986 — when a Dale Brown-led team was the lowest-seeded team to reach final two games. "We're not done yet," Davis said just prior to snipping a piece of the net after the game ended. "We have two more games to go." That'll depend on whether guards Darrel Mitchell and Garrett Temple can knock down open looks. Mitchell is usually reliable from the perimeter, but the rest of the team hardly instills fear when launching 3-pointers. Tyrus Thomas gives his team's win over Texas two thumbs up. (Streeter Lecka / Getty Images) Mitchell and Temple shot a combined 4-of-19 and 1-of-12 from long distance. However, they both did a terrific job defensively limiting the number of quality looks given to the Texas guards. LSU scored the first seven points of overtime and the Longhorns were unable to battle back. Tasmin Mitchell opened it up with a quick bucket, Temple had a layup inside and Davis delivered the knockout blow with a 3-pointer. "They came right out, hit a couple of shots and just ran away with it," Gibson said. "I loved the way that they (LSU) continued to fight regardless of what kind of runs we made. They kept fighting and came out on top." After the game, it was a celebration. Glen Davis' mother ran onto the podium and jumped into Big Baby's arms. The charismatic Davis took the microphone and didn't want to give it up. The players on the team were doing the The Second Line, a dance from New Orleans. "We're from Baton Rouge, so we don't know how to do The Second Line that great," LSU freshman Tasmin Mitchell said. "We want to bring it home to Louisiana because of all people have been through losing their lives and homes. We want to bring some excitement back to the state." In a aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, that's exactly what these fun-loving boys from the Bayou State are doing. Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
I honestly, really have loved this team since I first heard about how they took the whole Katrina thing to heart and tried to help the community. These are some of the most selfless players in college basketball and have the maturity level that some college seniors still strive to achieve. This team is really special and has a distinct connection. They can clown around and play yet get serious with the flip of a switch. With a combo like that, you don't even need a coach. None the less CJB has been doing an OUTSTANDING job. While I never criticized him (too harshly,) I never felt too thrilled about what he was doing either, but I have to admit that he' has done a fine job... wow.
I think John Lopez is a very good analyst over at the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/lopez/3748720.html Getting respect in Houston...
