Men's Basketball: What's LSU's top strengths, weaknesses heading into Tourney play?

Guys,

I'll openly admit that I didn't pay close attention to the men's games until a month ago. It's been nice seeing the kind of play we've seen down the stretch--getting to the line and making FTs, better overall defense and perimeter defense, outstanding play in the paint, etc.

Basically, I'm wondering what you fans who've watched these guys closely from the start of the season--during that W Va loss, the OT win over Ohio St., early SEC struggles---think are, say, the top three strengths and weaknesses of this team as it heads into postseason play.

My .02 cents are that the biggest concern is quality depth. If LSU runs into a good shooting team (especially from the perimeter) with a deep bench, they're in trouble.

Thoughts?

 

Weakness: depth/ bench, but Neltner and Whipple have been playing decent of late - Also, our outside defense is horrible, when teams shoot the 3 well, it becomes an uphill struggle for us (chalk it up to short guards).

Strength: Bass & Davis - they brng an huge inside game Hudson/ Mitchell - DM more so has become a three threat if he can keep the ball rolling and Free throws b/c they win games late.

 

yeah we dont guard very well on the perimeter at all...I never really have seen a game where Mitchell and Hudson were really on at the same time....not too many weaknesses but some...

 

You could pretty much say that about any team.

 

When we will play a team with big guards, we are doomed.

 

Re: Men's Basketball: What's LSU's top strengths, weaknesses heading into Tourney pla

Sure, but a team with good perimeter scoring and a deep bench has a much better chance when facing a team with such strenghts than does LSU, a team with spotty perimeter defense and questionable depth.

On the other hand, LSU has an advantage against a team that's thin inside. I imagine Brady will play plenty of post-up, down low basketball in order to get and keep Davis and Bass involved and hot and to get other teams into foul trouble.

Outperforming opponents in frontcourt play (scoring, rebounds) and in getting to the line more frequently is our best chance against higher-seeded teams. I'm okay with that, even if Minor and Mitchell are off from the perimeter offensively, as long as they D up, drive the lane aggressively on occasion and get to the foul line.

 

Re: Men's Basketball: What's LSU's top strengths, weaknesses heading into Tourney pla

I think the lack of depth thing will end up being a wash because these kids have played with that hanging over their heads all year - my point is that it's nothing sudden like a string of late injuries, suspensions, Lloreda thugging it up, etc. It's not a great thing to go into the Tournament 5-7 deep, but it is great to know that we've done it all year and the kids are prepared physically for it.

If we get matched against a slow, white (sorry, it's true), Big 10 team we are doomed. A Big 10 Team with less athletic talent is kryptonite to John Brady.

 

Re: Men's Basketball: What's LSU's top strengths, weaknesses heading into Tourney pla

I was thinking the same thing. The team TT described, good outside shooting and good bench, would be a tough team to play and would be similar to alot of past NCAA champs.

But it is a good question so I'll bite. I think the strength of this team is obvious, Bass and Davis inside. Those two outmatch or are equal to any inside duo in the country. Bass has the power to bang and finesse to hit the 3 pointer. Davis is a good ole banger who is active on the boards picking up loose offensive rebounds. He also has some good down low moves, but he struggles against a longer defender. When he was guarded by Davidson from Bama, he got blocked several times.

Another strength this team has it is that they find a way to win. This is very important in the NCAA tourney. A guy could be tired and have an off game, but if the team knows how to win, they can get past that and still win the game. Bass is almost always on, but against Ole Miss (I know they aren't that good but still...) he was only 2-12 from the field. Throw in Davis' 1-6 shooting and you would think that LSU would be destined to lose, but the defense was solid and the other guys on the team picked up their game to pick up the win. I think LSU could get by 1 game with Bass not playing well but not any more than that.

#1 Weakness: perimeter D is one because it is just easier to shoot over the shorter guys. If Kennedy Winston at 6'6" goes up for a 3, Darrel Mitchell at 5'11" isn't even going to be much of a factor in the shot. If we go against a team with a taller 2 or 3 that can shoot, it could be a problem. It kills me when the radio guys bemoan a team shooting a higher % than their norm from the outside against LSU, just because if a guy's hand isn't affecting your release point you become a better shooter.

 

Re: Men's Basketball: What's LSU's top strengths, weaknesses heading into Tourney pla

That's because those guys know how to foul and get away with it. That Wisconsin game in 2000 was a clutch and grab fest and we lost.

 

a big 10 team will probably beat any SEC team... Much more physical basketball is played.. I was at the wisconsin game and yes it was more of a football game than a bball game..Depends on who you get for ref's. I think this team is much stronger overall physically than in 2000. I might be wrong though. The team that got beat by Purdue was much more "3" oriented. We couldn't throw it in the river that day.