SB Nation - Chris Johnson

Heytvelt, Downs Workout for NBA Teams Today

Zach B — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:43:06 -0000

Micah Downs blocks North Carolina's Deon Thompson in the Sweet Sixteen. Today, Downs will be hoping to impress the Blazers. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Like our loyal reader GUnit pointed out yesterday, Micah Downs will be working out with the Portland Trailblazers today. A late addition, Downs is replacing Tasmin Mitchell, the forward out of LSU. He will be working out with Chris Johnson also from LSU, Omri Casspi from Israel, Jerel McNeal from Marquette, Greivis Vasquez from Maryland, and Chinemelu Elonu from Texas A&M. Aside from Casspi, all the players working out for Portland today are probably guys that will be projected in the second round or undrafted. The good thing for the six working out today is that Portland has a lot of picks to throw around. While Portland will probably be looking for a point guard in the first round, Casspi could be worth selecting with the Blazers 24th pick. You'll be hearing Portland's name a lot in the second round as they have four picks (#33, #38, #55, #56). It'd be great to see Micah remain in the Pacific Northwest and get drafted by the Blazers. Hopefully his work out goes very well and make sure to check BlazersEdge throughout the day as their writers will be at the workout today.

Also working out today is Gonzaga center Josh Heytvelt. JH has been projected as a mid-to-late second round pick and the Milwaukee Bucks will be testing him out today along with five other prospects. Josh has, much like Austin Daye, had some very mixed reviews throughout the pre-draft process. He got some raves during the combine and people were enamored with his size since graduating. The most recent review of Josh, however, was not so glowing:

Speaking of Gonzaga, several GMs were ranting about big man Heytvelt. "He looked completely disinterested," one GM said. "He was awful. He had his teammates urging him to compete harder. It was weird."

That was from ESPN's Chad Ford who has been covering the workouts. This makes you wonder about Josh's passion for the game, especially since he no longer has the option to come back another year. These three weeks could become very crucial for Josh because he is a guy that some think could be an end of the first round type guy but could also drop out of the draft. Milwaukee has two picks in this year's draft. With the tenth overall pick, Josh will not be the pick but if he impresses them enough, he could fit in as the 41st selection. Joining Josh in today's workout is UCLA's Josh Shipp, Miami of Ohio's Michael Bramos, Alabama's Alonzo Gee, West Virginia's Alex Ruoff, and North Carolina State junior Brandon Costner.

UNC 84, LSU 70

T.H. — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:16:04 -0000

Ty Lawson's toe knows no bounds.

OK, it knows some bounds, sending him to the bench a few times in the first half, and slowing the guard down more effectively than the Tigers perimeter defense. But by the second half, he could not be stopped, scoring 21 of his 23 points after the break to allow UNC to finally pull away after the six-minute mark.

The six-minute mark was also when two things went wrong for LSU. First, Chris Johnson, the center whose four blocks and defensive pressure in a loosely-called game had been giving UNC fits on the interior, picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench. (He certainly was held there too long, not returning until 2:30 remaining with his team down 13.) Second, Danny Green got a handle on guarding Marcus Thornton, who was the Tigers only scorer for a nine minute stretch in the second half that kept LSU in the game. With him shut down, Lawson approaching full speed, and the LSU layers sucking wind - only seven got any serious time on the court - and the team just collapsed, allowing UNC to run away late.

Perimeter shootingwise, Ellington continued is postseason success, making at least three three-pointers for the fourth straight game and breaking twenty points for the third. Danny Green continued to struggle, as he hasn't gone off since the Georgia tech game, but made up for it on the defensive end. And Bobby Frasor's unwillingness to shoot is actually bothering me, but UNC seems to end up with points when he passes up the open looks, so it just be a personal thing on my part.

Other observations from seeing the game live:

LSU fans were very uncomfortable having the Duke fans - once they finally showed midway through the game - on their side. And once Duke-Texas started, the LSU fans were mute. A fair number of UNC fans, on the other hand, actually had Texas gear in reserve for the second game. They were quieter though, as cheering for Texas is still a little tough for a lot of Carolina fans.
The NCAA has gone into total messaging lockdown at the tournament site. All stadium ads have ben covered by NCAA-branded temporary signs. The courts are NCAA provided and festooned with NCAA logos, hence the uniform appearance across al the tournament sites. (It does mean the end of the hazardous floor stickers of years past, but it's still creepy.)
The NCAA also does not feel the need to show any remotely controversial play in replay on the scoreboard, or keep people informed about other NCAA tournament games. At best we'd get score updates once or twice a game. There were a boatload of highlights from tournaments past, and ads for every NCAA even within a 300 mile radius in the next six months. (Raleigh has a gymnastics regional! West Virginia, a golf regional! Yawn.)
Lawson got the biggest cheer the first time he ran full speed down the court for a layup. I think everyone was happy the toe didn't explode or anything.
I'd have pictures, but the Greensboro Coliseum was in full-lockdown mode. On the trip back to the car to stow the camera though, I got to see a traffic cop hold up a line of cars solely because a Duke fan wouldn't stop honking. That was fun.
Does anyone else find Duke fans wearing "Cameron Crazies" shirts (with the Nike logo, natch) to just be silly? It's like wearing a shirt that says "Fan."

SEC Tournament: Kentucky Wildcats vs. LSU

Ken Howlett — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:02:23 -0000

Reversal of Fortune

The Kentucky Wildcats (20-12, 9-8) experienced a trend reversal in yesterday's opening round 71-58 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels: It's the first time all year that UK has won a game in which they were outscored from the three-point line. Ole Miss notched five made threes, while UK wasn't "feelin' it" from long distance, going only 1-10.

The victory also halted UK's unpleasant four game losing streak, keeping alive their slim hopes for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

How did they win? They won with defense, an aspect of their game that has been a dismal failure of late. But yesterday, UK held Ole Miss to only 20 points, and 31.8% field goal shooting in the second half, after allowing the Rebels to make 14-26 shots (53.8%) in the opening stanza. UK also took care of the basketball, committing only 10 turnovers to Mississippi's 18, which resulted in another reversal of fortune: UK outscored their opponent by 16 points in the points off turnovers category.

Continuing UK's reversal of fortune (Claus von Bulow would be proud): The 'Cats placed four players in double figures, with Jodie Meeks leading the way with 25 points, followed by Patrick Patterson's 15 (and 14 boards). Perry Stevenson must have eaten his Wheaties for breakfast because he showed signs of life with 13 points and eights rebounds (4 offensive), and late-comer Darius Miller chipped in with 12 points on 5-9 shooting.

And finally, what has been UK's undoing all season, offensive rebounding, was a strength yesterday. The 'Cats grabbed six more offensive boards than the Rebels, allowing UK to outscore Ole Miss by five in second chance points.

In order for UK to continue their improbable run toward the SEC Championship game, they must once again execute defensively and play smartly. Because today against the SEC Regular season champion, the #16 ranked LSU Tigers (25-6, 13-3), they will be facing an experienced-laden team that isn't prone to making the same mistakes as the depleted Ole Miss Rebels.

LSU Tigers

On February 28, LSU invaded Rupp Arena and came away with a hard-earned 73-70 victory: LSU junior forward Tasmin Mitchell nailed a three-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Tigers.

UK head coach Billy Gillispie said this after the loss --

"We're just not a mature enough team to beat a team that is smart and mature like LSU is."

Have the 'Cats grown-up? They certainly took a positive step toward maturity yesterday.

Gillispie placed the blame for the earlier LSU loss squarely on his own shoulders. Saying that his decision to take out Ramon Harris at the 10:54 mark of the second half with UK up 54-44, cost the Wildcats the game. Gillispie noted after the game that Harris "looked like he was having a heart attack," which is why he removed the junior G/F from the game. Gillispie also stated that he was worried that Harris may have been suffering some type of after-effect related to his head injury suffered earlier in the year.

Regardless, UK went from up 10, to up only two points in Harris' four-and-a-half minute absence (he re-entered the game at the 6:35 mark), but more importantly newly minted Conference Player of the Year Marcus Thornton caught fire, scoring 15 late points (19 total second half points), carrying the Tigers to victory.

Kentucky also "accomplished" a rarity in the first LSU game: They lost despite shooting 60.7% in the second half (17-28). Meeks and Patterson were a combined 13-21 from the field (61.9%) in the second half, and accounted for 29 UK points. But it wasn't enough to overcome a 15-9 LSU advantage in second chance points, as well as a Tiger win in the points off turnovers battle (18-15).

But, the primary reason for the Tiger victory was once again a lack of perimeter defense by Kentucky -- LSU made 9-20 three-point shots (45.0%), dwarfing UK's 3-14 effort from beyond the arc (21.4%), and off-setting UK's huge advantage in points in the paint (46-24).

LSU Personnel -- Conference Games Only

Marcus Thornton: 6-4, 205 lb senior guard -- Thornton averages 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He's shooting 46.5% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc (37-96), and 78.9% from the free throw line.

In the first game -- Thornton scored 23 points on 8-23 shooting (2-7 threes), grabbed nine rebounds, dished out four assists and committed two turnovers.

Tasmin Mitchell: 6-7, 235 lb junior forward -- He's averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds (2.9 offensive), 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He shoots 53.9% from the field, 58.3% from the three-point line (7-12), and 73.6% from the free throw line.

In the first game -- Mitchell scored 21 points on 9-13 shooting (1-2 threes), gathered eight rebounds, had two assists, FIVE steals, three turnovers, and hit the previously-mentioned game-winning three-pointer.

Bo Spencer: 6-1, 185 lb sophomore guard -- Spencer is averaging 11.1 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. He makes 40.3% of his shots, 40.3% of his three-point tries (25-62), and 81.5% of his free throws.

In the first game -- He scored 16 points, making 6-12 shots (4-7 threes). He dished out three assists, had two steals and two turnovers.

Garrett Temple: 6-6, 195 lb senior guard -- Temple averages 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He's shooting 35.8% from the floor, 29.8% from beyond the arc (14-47), and 81.4% from the charity stripe.

In the first game -- Temple scored one point, had one rebound, one assist, three blocks and one turnover.

Chris Johnson: 6-11, 210 lb senior center -- Johnson is averaging 7.8 points, 7.7 rebounds (2.7 offensive), and 3.4 blocks per game. He's shooting 49.5% from the field, and 87.5% from the free throw line (14-16).

In the first game -- In 14 minutes of action Johnson scored two points (1-3 shooting), had four rebounds, one assist, one turnover, and was generally abused by Patrick Patterson.

Terry Martin: 6-6, 210 lb senior guard -- Martin is averaging 4.7 points, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He makes 34.6% of his shots, 27.3% of his threes (9-33), and 66.7% of his free throws.

In the first game -- In 18 minutes he scored eight points on 3-4 shooting (2-3 threes), nabbed one rebound, dished out one assist, had one steal, one block and one turnover.

CliffsNotes Analysis

This is Patrick Patterson's day!

The big fella dominated the paint in the earlier LSU game, scoring 28 points on 12-17 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds. LSU simply has no answer for UK's big man. Feeding the post early and often should be a large part of Billy Gillispie's game-plan -- Let Patterson carry UK on his substantial shoulders, and with Perry Stevenson's renewed interest the 'Cats have a dual-threat post presence for the first time in several weeks.

Conference Coach of the Year Trent Johnson will once again pressure Jodie Meeks with Tasmin Mitchell, Marcus Thornton and Garrett Temple so UK will have to run some offensive sets to get their star guard some open looks (Meeks was 10-22 from the field, but only 1-9 from behind the arc in the first game).

I suspect that Ramon Harris will take on Marcus Thornton once again. UK's lock-down defender did an exceptional job on LSU's scoring machine in the first match-up. A repeat performance for the "Alaskan Assassin" will go a long way in helping UK secure their second victory in a row.

Michael Porter must take care of the ball as he did yesterday against Ole Miss -- He committed only one turnover, and had three assists. LSU isn't known for pressuring the ball, so Porter will have the opportunity to run the offense relatively hassle-free.

But most importantly, Kentucky's defense must show up as it did yesterday. When UK plays frenetic, active defense, they usually win. Today's game should be no different.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Tigers!

Kentucky Wildcats vs. LSU: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:10:03 -0000

If heat shrinks, then UK head honcho Billy Gillispie must stand 5'5" about right now. "Honey, We Shrunk the Coach" is the next Rick Moranis masterpiece headed to movie theater's across the Commonwealth. It's only February, but the Craft Center must feel like a sauna in the Sahara, with no oasis in sight.

If ever a win was needed, this is the game. After UK's uninspiring 77-59 embarrassment of an effort in Columbia, South Carolina Wednesday night, the 'Cats are in search of some mojo for the stretch run (which will hopefully reside in Rupp Arena about 4:00 o'clock this afternoon). If UK, after standing 5-0 in the SEC and 16-4 overall in early January, was then to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988, illicit calls of gloom, despair and agony on me (my apologies to Grandpa Jones and his "homey's") will be heard from Boyd to Ballard County.

The arrival of the SEC's best team, though, provides Gillispie and the 'Cats with a most opportunistic shot at redemption. For beating #18 LSU (24-4, 12-1) would go a long way in extinguishing the fanning flames aflutter in the Bluegrass. The players, the coaches, the fans need a victory ... conference games get no bigger than this.

I've probably written too much already, so it's on to the Fightin' Tigers of LSU:

LSU Personnel

Marcus Thornton: 6'4" 205 lb senior guard -- Overall Thornton averages 20.9 points (2nd in the SEC), 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game (6th in the SEC). He shoots 48.9% from the field (7th in the SEC), 40.8% from the three-point line (62-152), and 75.5% from the free throw line (7th in SEC).

In league play he averages 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He shoots 49.0% from the field, 42.7% from the three-point line, and 80.2% from the charity stripe. In his last four games Thornton is averaging 26.8 points per contest, while making 31-62 shots and 12-30 threes (40.0%). He's also made 22 of his last 24 free throw attempts, and 33 free throws in his last four games. Last year versus UK (a 67-63 Wildcat win) Thornton played 36 minutes scored nine points on 4-14 shooting. He also had one assists and one steal.

Tasmin Mitchell: 6'7 235 lb junior forward -- On the year Mitchell is averaging 16.6 points, (8th in the SEC) 7.3 rebounds (9th in the SEC), 2.6 offensive rebounds, 1.9 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game (8th in the SEC). He makes 54.5% of his field goal attempts (5th in the SEC), 56.3% of his threes (9-16), and 72.8% of his free throws (9th in the SEC).

In SEC play Mitchell is averages 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds (3.0 off. reb), 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He makes a very solid 56.4% of is field goal tries, 66.7% of his threes (6-9), and 72.2% of his free throw attempts. The '05 McDonald's All-America scored 41 points against Mississippi State on February 11. He's scored over 20 points eight times on the year. Mitchell has recorded 16 career double-doubles, and he has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games. Mitchell did not play against UK last year; he missed all but three games due to a knee injury.

Garrett Temple: 6'6" 190 lb senior guard -- On the season, LSU's defensive dynamo, averages 7.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists (5th in the SEC), and 1.9 steals per game (4th in SEC). He makes 38.2% of his shots, 32.9% of his threes (24-73), and 85.1% of his free throws. Temple sports 117 assists to only 58 turnovers, a 2.02 assist/turnover ratio, good for second in the SEC.

In conference play, Temple averages 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists (2.2 turnovers), and 1.2 steals per game. He shoots 37.9% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 91.2% from the free throw line (31-34). Over his last three games, Temple is averaging 16.5 points per game. He's made 12-21 field goals and 6-10 threes in that span. He's dished out 6+ assists in nine games this year. Temple has 461 career assists, and 103 career blocks. Last year versus UK, Temple played 38 minutes, scoring eight points on 2-6 shooting (2-5 three-pointers). He also recorded five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

Bo Spencer: 6'1" 185 lb sophomore guard -- For the year Spencer averages 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. He shoots 44.2% from the floor, 41.1% from the three-point line (44-107), and 84.4% from the free throw line.

In SEC play Spencer is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. He's making 41.8% of his shots, 37.5% of his threes (18-48), and 81.0% of his free throws. Spencer recently missed two games due to an ankle injury. Since going 5-6 from beyond the arc versus Arkansas on January 31, Spencer has made only 4-17 trey attempts (23.5%).

Chris Johnson: 6'11" 210 lb senior center -- On the season the big man averages 8.4 points, 7.6 rebounds (7th in the SEC), 2.3 offensive rebounds, 2.9 blocks (2nd in the SEC), and 1.3 assists per game, in 26.0 minutes per contest. He shoots 45.8% from the field, and 75.4% from the free throw line.

In SEC play Johnson averages 8.7 points, 8.2 rebounds (2.7 off. reb), 3.8 blocks, and 1.7 assists per game (he averages 28.4 minutes per game in league play). He makes 51.5 % of his shots, and 91.7% from the free throw line (11-12). Johnson recorded seven blocks versus Arkansas on January 31. He's recorded six blocks in two games -- versus Ole Miss on February 14, and versus Arkansas on February 18. Versus Tennessee he grabbed 14 rebounds (seven offensive). He's recorded four double-doubles, and he's nabbed double-digit rebounds in eight games. He's made 19 of his last 35 shots (54.3%) over a span of four games. Johnson has 161 career blocks. Last year versus Kentucky, Johnson played 32 minutes, scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and had one block.

Terry Martin: 6'6" 210 lb senior guard -- On the year Martin averages 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and one assist per game. He shoots 34.8% from the field, 32.1% from behind the arc (17-53), and 66.7% from the charity stripe. He averages 15.8 minutes per game.

In conference play Martin averages 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He makes 32.3% of his shots, 22.2% of his threes (6-27), and 66.7% of his free throws. Last year versus UK, Martin played 21 minutes, and scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting (2-4 threes). He also dished out one assist.

LSU Team Statistics -- Overall (SEC rank in parenthesis)

LSU Opponent

Points Per Game -- 77.0 (4) 65.1 (3)

Field Goal% -- 46.0 (3) 39.8 (3)

3-Point% -- 37.9 (2) 32.1 (5)

Free Throw% -- 72.3 (3) 69.4 (10)

Rebound Margin -- +6.6 (1)

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 13.6 (3) 11.4 (6)

Off. Rebound% -- 38.5 (1) 30.4 (2)

Def. Reb. Per Game -- 26.2 (3) 21.7 (3)

Def. Rebound% -- 69.6 (2) 61.5 (1)

Assists Per Game -- 15.9 (4) 8.7 (1)

Steals Per Game -- 8.0 (4) 6.3 (4)

Turnovers Per Game -- 12.4 (11) 13.6 (3)

Blocks Per Game -- 6.2 (3) 2.8 (1)

LSU Team Statistics -- Conference Games Only (SEC rank in parenthesis)

LSU Opponents

Points Per Game -- 78.8 (1) 67.9 (2)

Field Goal% -- 46.7 (2) 39.5 (2)

3-Point% -- 36.3 (5) 30.2 (1)

Free Throw% -- 74.1 (2) 67.5 (4)

Rebound Margin -- +5.1 (1)

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 12.8 (4) 12.1 (6)

Off. Rebound% -- 36.2 (3) 30.0 (2)

Def. Reb. Per Game -- 28.2 (1) 22.6 (4)

Def. Rebound% -- 70.0 (2) 63.8 (3)

Assists Per Game -- 16.2 (1) 9.7 (2)

Steals Per Game -- 7.3 (6) 6.3 (2)

Turnovers Per Game -- 13.0 (8) 12.5 (2)

Blocks Per Game -- 6.5 (4) 3.1 (1)

Tiger Tidbits

LSU has won nine straight games, and 12 straight SEC games ... It's their longest SEC win streak since winning 17 in a row in 1981 ... Versus Florida Tuesday night, Thornton and Temple combined for 53 points on 15-25 shooting (9-15 threes) ... In their last two games (Florida and Auburn) LSU has allowed 37.5% three-point shooting (15-40) ... Auburn is the only SEC team to shoot over 45.0% versus LSU ... LSU has recorded 12 steals twice in league play, versus South Carolina and Alabama ... Since scoring 59 points in their SEC opener versus Alabama, LSU has scored at least 70 points in every game ... The Tigers have scored at least 79 points in nine SEC games ... LSU has shot over 40.0% from beyond the arc five times in SEC play ... LSU grabbed 20 offensive rebounds versus Arkansas (Arkansas had only 22 defensive rebounds) ... In defeating Ole Miss, LSU blocked 11 Rebel shots, they blocked 16 shots versus Alcorn State ... Versus Troy in November, LSU dished out 28 assists to only six turnovers ... LSU has recorded only five turnovers in two games -- versus SE Louisiana, and Mississippi ... Both Tasmin Mitchell and Marcus Thornton have scored over 1,000 points in their careers ... LSU, with the win over Florida Tuesday, clinched their fourth West Division title since 2000.

The Trent Johnson File

New Tiger head coach Trent Johnson played his college ball at Boise State where he finished in the top 10 in career scoring and rebounding. He played in the 1976 NCAA Tournament after Boise won the Big Sky Conference.

Johnson's first college coaching job was as an assistant at Utah in 1986. His first head coaching job was from '99-'04 at Nevada where he posted a 79-74 record, and took the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16. He followed up that success with a four year stint at Stanford, where he posted an 80-47 mark.

Johnson has done a right nice job in his first year in Baton Rouge. And although many picked the Tigers to win the West, he and South Carolina's Darren Horn have to be running neck-in-neck for SEC Coach of the Year honors.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Patrick Patterson had some success last year versus LSU big man Chris Johnson. Patterson was 7-10 from the field, good for 14 points. After Wednesday nights block-fest, courtesy of South Carolina, he MUST remember to double paint-plant his defender, and utilize the ball fake.

Billy Gillispie stated after the South Carolina game that he was sick and tired of Patterson having no help in the paint -- That's being "called out" fellas. With LSU's affinity for rebounding, UK MUST hit the boards smarter and harder than they have recently, or another loss is in the offing.

UK once again faces two ball-hawking guards in Thornton and Temple. Michael Porter and DeAndre Liggins MUST do a better job of taking care of the rock if UK has any hopes of pulling out a win -- No more words are needed.

Jodie Meeks will be tailed from tip to horn by defenders as big or bigger then him, and nearly as quick. Some creativity MUST be utilized in helping Meeks get some open looks -- Some fast-break opportunities would be nice.

Kentucky MUST come out ready to play, unlike Wednesday night. They'll have a home crowd, and motivation aplenty ... this is the time to deliver.

This game is the definition of "MUST win."

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Tennessee Volunteers vs. LSU Tigers: game preview

Joel — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:00:11 -0000

The 15-4 (3-1) LSU Tigers travel to Knoxville tonight to take on the 12-6 (3-1) Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols seek to recapture some of that Thompson-Boling magic against the well-rounded and tough Tigers.

Observations from the stats

Something's got to give, Groundhog Day edition. For the third game in a row, the Vols's highly-ranked scoring offense (81.2 PPG) runs into a brick wall scoring defense. The Tigers ranked 55th in the nation and are holding their opponents to 62.1 PPG. To make matters worse, LSU has the offense (59th in scoring) to go along with a great defense, thus putting them at 22nd in the nation in scoring margin.

Unlike Memphis, these guys can score from the perimeter. The Tigers hit 46.1% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. Our defense has improved over the past several games, but honk if you don't think we're in for another long night against another guard.

And that, and that, and that, too? But wait, there's more! LSU also has better numbers in rebounds of all things. And assist-to-turnover ratio. And blocks, steals, turnovers, and turnover margin. Deep breath, y'all. This could very well be our fourth loss at home in five games.

LSU players to watch

Um, all of them? Four of five starters anyway. Marcus Thornton, Tasmin Mitchell, Chris Johnson, and Garrett Temple are all nationally ranked in some important category. With that many guys serving as key contributors, it's better to just bust out a chart:

	PTS	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	FG%	FT%	3P%
Marcus Thornton	18.9	4.8	2.1	1.6	1.6	0.4	.483	.693	.398
Tasmin Mitchell	15.5	6.3	1.5	1.9	1.4	0.7	.549	.753	.429
Chris Johnson	7.8	7.6	1.4	1.3	0.5	2.3	.419	.714	.250
Garrett Temple	7.0	4.6	4.2	1.9	2.3	0.7	.389	.829	.326

Other Stuff

KenPom's prediction: Tennessee wins, 79-73, and has a 72% chance of winning. Hmm. Okay, well that's more like it.

Bullets!

Absent from that player chart above for LSU is Bo Spencer, who LSU lists as a "scoring guard." Well, who isn't?
The Tigers went almost eight minutes in the second half without scoring in a loss to Xavier on Saturday.
This is Trent Johnson's first year as the Tigers' head coach. He is not John Brady.
Marcus Thornton was last week's SEC Player of the Week. Against Mississipi State and Xavier, Thornton averaged 30.5 points on 55.5 percent shooting from the field
and 53.3 percent shooting from three-point range. Somebody guard this guy. Make that somebodies.

And on to the stats:

KEY STATS COMPARISON
Category	Rank	Actual	Rank	Actual
Scoring Offense	11	81.2	59	75.7
Scoring Defense	300	74.3	55	62.1
Scoring Margin	81	6.9	22	13.6
Field-Goal Percentage	102	45.3	66	46.1
Field-Goal Percentage Defense	182	43.3	45	39.7
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game	172	6.2	198	5.9
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage	263	30.0	31	38.6
Three Pt FG Defense	257	0.358	87	0.323
Free-Throw Percentage	143	69.3	86	71.4
Rebound Margin	30	6.4	16	7.5
Assists Per Game	18	16.4	38	15.8
Assist Turnover Ratio	56	1.13	15	1.31
Blocked Shots Per Game	99	3.9	14	5.9
Steals Per Game	176	6.7	45	8.4
Turnovers Per Game	197	14.5	23	12.1
Turnover Margin	140	0.6	64	2.3
Personal Fouls Per Game	282	20.4	97	17.4

Well that doesn't look encouraging at all.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Category	Player	Rank	Actual	Player	Rank	Actual
Points PG	Tyler Smith	81	17.7	Marcus Thornton	45	18.9
FG%				Tasmin Mitchell	40	54.9
3-Point FG PG
3-Point FG%
FT %
Rebounds PG	Wayne Chism	52	8.7
Assists PG
Blocks PG				Chris Johnson	36	2.3
Steals PG				Garrett Temple	31	2.3
Assist-TO Ratio	Bobby Maze	81	1.97	Garrett Temple	52	2.14

How good is LSU? Who knows?

Nuss — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:00:07 -0000

Normally, I'd write this sort of a preview for the game thread, but given the complete and utter lack of other things to talk about -- and the important nature of tomorrow's game -- I thought I'd throw you all a bone and give us something to talk about so that CougarsRock can quit going through withdrawals.

We all believe this to be a big game for the Cougs for some obvious reasons, chief among them that it represents our final chance to get a nice win to bolster our potential Tournament resume before the conference schedule starts. But how nice of a win it actually would be is highly debatable at the moment.

Of course, a win on the road against a power-conference opponent is always worth some NCAA Tournament committee brownie points, but the truth is that we really have no idea how good LSU really is. The Tigers haven't just played a soft nonconference schedule to build their 9-1 record; they've played the weakest nonconference schedule in the country -- No. 344 out of 344 Division I basketball teams, according to Ken Pomeroy, as the Tigers have played just two teams rated above 220 by Pomeroy (No. 133 Cal-State Fullerton and No. 83 Texas A&M).

Seriously, even Jim Boeheim shakes his head at how bad the Tigers' first 10 opponents have been.

Because the opposition has been so weak, it's tough to get much of a statistical read on LSU. However, the Tigers are ranked No. 69 by Pomeroy despite their record, and their adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency numbers are not nearly as good as their raw numbers, indicating that LSU probably isn't as strong as the record might suggest.

So what, if anything, can we learn from the Tigers' early results? Well, much like the Cougars, its pretty obvious that they've just physically overwhelmed their opponents. Teams have been unable to get into the lane against the Tigers, thanks in large part to 6-foot-11 shot blocker extraordinaire Chris Johnson, who is 18th nationally in block percentage. In fact, LSU is fifth nationally as a team in both block percentage and 2-point field goal percentage allowed. They've done a good job beating who they should beat.

Our two best shots to try and evaluate the Tigers come from their two most quality opponents. But we won't learn much from the Fullerton matchup because the Tigers like to run and the Titans really, really like to run, resulting in a 75-possession game that was absolutely nothing like what we'll see tomorrow. So let's focus in on Texas A&M.

First of all, the Aggies slowed the game down -- not necessarily to the degree the Cougs will, but slower than what LSU would prefer. They also destroyed the Tigers inside, getting Johnson and versatile forward Tasmin Mitchell into foul trouble. Because the Tigers are not at all a deep team, any kind of foul trouble really starts to spell doom for them. Additionally, it makes a lot of sense to attack LSU this way if you can, because the Tigers' three guards, who see the bulk of the minutes on the floor, are long and rangy on the perimeter.

In fact, this makes me start to wonder if starting Caleb Forrest against Idaho wasn't meant to prepare for this game. There could be some real weakensses in LSU's interior for WSU's big men to exploit, in particular Aron Baynes. Yes, Johnson is a good shot blocker, but he's only 205 pounds. And the last time Baynes played a talented shot blocker who couldn't matchup with his girth, he threw Jarvis Varnado on the barbie and ate him to the tune of 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

The Texas A&M game is also the closest the Tigers have come to facing a team with even remotely the defensive prowess of WSU, but that's not saying much -- the Aggies' adjusted defesive efficiency ranks No. 127, while the Cougs' ranks No. 2. So while we should be a little bit concerned about the ability of guards Marcus Thornton (17.3 ppg) and Bo Spencer (11.2 ppg) to go crazy from the outside -- the Tigers shoot 39.2 percent from 3-point range, 33rd nationally -- it's safe to say that the Tigers simply won't get the open looks on the perimeter they've become accustomed to. Mitchell, a talented frontcourt player coming off a major knee injury last year, also won't have the physical advantage around the basket he's enjoyed in the first 10 games.

Of course, Trent Johnson knows all of this about the WSU defense, having coached against Bennett teams for the past four years at Stanford. But how many times have we seen a team think they know what they're in for against the Cougs, only to say after the game that while they knew the defense was good, they didn't know it was that good? It's one thing for Johnson to know it; it's something else for him to get his team to believe it. Here's to betting his team won't truly believe it until Johnson asks them, "Now do you believe me?" at halftime.

The bottom line is that we just don't know what we're getting ourselves into tomorrow, and likely won't know just what a win -- or a loss -- means until later in the year.