One week after Trent Johnson resigned from the head coaching position for the LSU head basketball coach to accept the same position at TCU, LSU has found his replacement. The LSU Tigers have chosen former Tiger assistant coach and player Johnny Jones to replace Johnson. Johnny Jones will leave North Texas to become the Tigers' head coach. He coached 11 years at North Texas, a Sun Belt school. As I previously mentioned, Jones was the coach I thought was the "favorite" to be chosen as Trent's replacement. I thought the LSU connections, close proximity, and mild success at North Texas would be enough to get him the job, and it looks like I was right.

Before I get into my opinion on the hire, I'll post a little bit of background on Jones. First, as you will hear from now until he is no longer our coach during every game, he is a former LSU basketball player that went to the 1981 Final Four with head coach Dale Brown. After graduation, he became an assistant under Dale Brown and went back to the Final Four in 1986 with the team. Of course, the next part of the story is the negative part that critics of Jones will likely latch onto, that being that Jones was also part of LSU during the bad times such as the end of Brown's career and during the sanctions in the 1990's.

In 2001 Jones was named head coach at North Texas after a short stint at Memphis as an assistant and head coach. The Mean Green before Jones had only been to the NCAA tournament once in 1988 before Jones brought them back in 2007 and 2010. However, North Texas is yet to win a game in the NCAA tournament. Overall, however, Jones has had sustained, medium level success at UNT. In five of the eleven seasons in Denton, Jones has guided the team to records with 20 wins or more. At the same time however, only once in his eleven seasons at UNT has the team finished with less than 10 losses.

The news of this movement came out late on Friday, and the timing seems to suggest that any coaches interested in LSU or that LSU had interest in had made their decisions. Although reports seem to suggest Tubby Smith was interested in LSU, I think it was just a way for him to speed up the process of him getting a new contract at Minnesota. Like virtually every coach at a major school, he has a better team coming back than LSU does for the 2012/2013 season and likely didn't want to risk leaving a good situation.

Overall, I think LSU fans will have very different opinions on this hire. There's so many different types of LSU basketball fans, which is why I think people will be divided on this hire. When I first heard that Trent Johnson was leaving, my initial thought was that LSU would have a difficult time finding a popular, high level coach. I didn't think LSU had enough to offer to get someone like John Pastner, Chris Mack, or Gregg Marshall to leave behind solid teams to rebuild LSU. I thought that LSU would be "stuck" with an unproven coach or an "over the hill" coach that is trying to rebuild their career.

As it turns out, Jones probably falls into the unproven category, simply because he hasn't coached anywhere near the level he will at LSU. While the Sun Belt is a division 1 conference, there's a clear difference in talent level and strategy. With Missouri and Texas AM only strengthening the SEC, winning gets tougher.

My overall feeling on the hire is slightly negative. My overall criticism with the hire isn't that it is Johnny Jones, however. I don't actually feel that he is that bad of a coach, nor do I feel he is unable to coach at the "BCS" level. My criticism is that I think LSU should have been able to do better. Even though LSU was in a very difficult spot with the late departure of Johnson, LSU is a behemoth in college sports and should have thrown their weight around more to get a big time coach. I guess the simplest way to put it is that I feel like LSU is settling. With the profitability of LSU sports in general, I feel that Alleva should have been able to make an offer that _____ couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, that didn't happen.

That doesn't mean I don't understand the hire, and it also doesn't mean that I disagree with those who agree with the hire. There are some reasons to be excited with Jones as the head coach. I initially thought that having experience only in the Sun Belt would be a negative factor, but on the other hand, having success at UNT may signal that with better facilities he can have better success. In addition to that, I think having an "LSU guy" could be a benefit. LSU hasn't exactly been able to hand pick the best Louisiana talent for a long time, even before Trent Johnson got here, and perhaps having a homegrown coach can be a quick fix to make sure that the talent stays here. Spending over a decade in Texas should also help get some talent to Baton Rouge from the Lone Star state.

With the hire, we now wait to see who will fill in as assistant coaches for the Tigers. There are no leftover assistants from Trent Johnson's staff, and although they are generally not well known, assistants are key to recruiting and to helping run everyday operations. I generally don't have any kind of opinions on assistant coaches, and trust head coaches to bring in people they can work well with that can recruit players from different areas.

With the recent news that head basketball coach Trent Johnson would be accepting the TCU Horned Frogs offer to become their head coach as they head into their first Big 12 season, LSU fans have been wondering who LSU would target to replace Johnson. There has been very little movement this off-season, mostly due to the fact that no major program has had an opening. Illinois was the biggest opening, and their hiring of Ohio's John Groce didn't result in a big movement of coaches from one major school to another. In my opinion, it's unlikely that LSU is able to cause a big movement of coaches either. Here's why:

First, I'm not convinced LSU is willing to pay out the big bucks to get a big name coach from another major program. Most coaches at a decent basketball school will be making around 1.7 million a year. In addition to that, any program with a successful coach would likely offer an increase to that coach, so LSU would have to not only match that increase on the 1.7 million, but increase it. The numbers add up really quick. For only $300,000 that it might take for Baylor to keep Scott Drew in place, LSU would have to offer at least 2.3 million, and likely more to get him to leave Waco. When you consider that Johnson was only making 1.5 million, I start to get skeptical that LSU will double their head coach's salary over the weekend.

In addition to that, you probably already noticed that LSU is in bad shape for next year. With Justin Hamilton's departure, in addition to seniors Storm Warren, Malcolm White, and Chris Bass, LSU is likely to have a small team anyway you measure it. In terms of actual players, we will have only eight players as of right now. Without a coach, I imagine that any last minute recruiting is also halted, making it more difficult to get a late in the season pick up. Our team will also be small in terms of height, with only three players that are forwards. It would be mighty difficult for any coach to win with the current roster, and I don't think it's likely that someone would give up a team that is already well established.

Lastly is the culture and geography, as they kind of go together. It's no secret that LSU is situated in the middle of football country. During this time of year, it's no secret that fans are more excited for spring football games than they are for the NCAA tournament. Athletes, both in Louisiana and in surrounding states, are more likely to play football than they are to play basketball. As a result, there's simply less basketball talent for LSU to pick from in their recruiting area. It's not necessarily an excuse for LSU not to have a decent basketball team, but it does make it harder for any coach at LSU because they will need to win recruiting battles in other states as opposed to at home.

I know some feel that "anyone but Johnson" is the way to go, but being free from Johnson doesn't mean LSU is in a good position, at least not yet. We already know that the SEC is getting stronger with new members Texas AM and Missouri, but it is also getting stronger out east with South Carolina's introduction of Frank Martin as their head coach. It's not a good time for LSU to be down, simply because it will take a much better coach to quickly get LSU to the middle of the conference.

Knowing all of that, here's a quick list of the names that have popped up, coaches that may be interested, and coaches that are more likely to fill our vacancy.

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Although the regular season ended in rather disappointing fashion, the LSU Tigers are still playing for at least one more game tonight as they take on the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. I was in contact with David over at Addicted to Quack with a Q&A exchange, and you can check out my answers to his questions over there. Here's what David had to say about the Oregon basketball program.

ATVS: It's been a while since I've seen an Oregon basketball game. I remember only a few years ago when they had Aaron Brooks and had a good year, but after that it seems like they disappeared. What happened?

Oregon has had a few good seasons, with two Elite Eight runs in the past decade. The problem was that they haven't been able to sustain that success. Former coach Ernie Kent recruited some fabulous talent that won big when they were seniors, but there were often 3-4 years of nothing between good teams. Oregon backed into the tourney in '08, the year after the tournament, then went onto 10th and 9th place finishes in the Pac-12 the next two seasons (including a depressing 2-16 league mark), leading to Kent's firing. It was a combination of recruiting too many guys that didn't work out, and many years of unbalanced recruiting (8 seniors in one class unbalanced) finally catching up with Oregon.

Former Creighton coach Dana Altman came in prior to last season, and somehow won 20 games and the CBI with a gutted roster that by all rights should have finished last in even many minor conferences. After upgrading the talent with several transfers, he's built on that with another 20-win season and the NIT berth this year. The program is on the right track. Now Altman needs to prove he can get quality high school talent and build some continuity for the long haul.

ATVS: What do you think the atmosphere at the game will be like? Will it have high attendance?

I think it will be fairly well attended, but by no means a sellout. The student section will be rocking, but UO is trying to sell lower bowl tickets for $31, and most of the alumni live in the Portland area, a two hour drive away, which is tough on a weeknight on short notice at $31 bucks a seat. My estimate would be somewhere in the 7,000-8,000 people range. However, given that this is Oregon's best season in about four years, I'd expect the crowd to be pretty fired up, especially the student section.

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After battling the #1 team in the country for over 30 minutes, the Wildcats were finally able to separate themselves and pick up their 23rd straight win. It's certainly an encouraging game, because LSU played about as bad as they could offensively and were still able to keep the game close throughout. Justin Hamilton and Johnny O'Bryant finished 2-17 combined shooting from the floor, which shows how the long arms of Kentucky's players caused problems.

The best guard on the floor today was Anthony Hickey, who finished with 10 points, 5 steals, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and only 1 turnover. He was a terror against Marquis Teague, and held him to only 2 points, 5 assists, but 4 turnovers. Kentucky as a team finished very poorly in the assist category with only 8 total assists, which shows how well the guards played defensively. Kentucky also finished with 18 turnovers, twice as many as LSU.

UK won this game because of the overall talent differential of their forwards. Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis finished with a combined 27 point 25 rebound effort, and forced LSU into huge foul problems. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist didn't help matters much for LSU, as he was a step ahead of Ralston Turner all day and fouled him out while collecting 19 points and 9 rebounds.

One thing that I will say, that may or may not be well received, is that Trent Johnson outcoached John Calipari today. With an inferior team not on their best day, he was able to push Kentucky to the limit. Normally, in order to score a big upset like that, it happens because the underdog has a hot shooting night and gets some beneficial calls. Trent Johnson had a very good game plan defensively, and it was the defensive effort that nearly allowed for the upset. Coaching was not the reason that LSU lost the game today.

Up next is the NIT selection show. LSU should find their name being called late Sunday night, and should feel that they can compete in the minor tournament. Although the stigmata of the NIT is bad, playing in the postseason will only help for next year. 2011 NIT champion Wichita State had a great 2012 so far, so there's definite benefits to playing as hard as possible in the NIT.

The best part and the worst part of March Madness is the hope. There's always that sliver of hope that something great can happen. Whether it's the big upset, the buzzer beater, or the breakout performance from the 5'10" team manager, there's always hope for every player on every team that they can make the play. They can win the game.

That has to be the message today from Trent Johnson to his young LSU Tigers. Kentucky is the best team going into this game. They have been the best team going into virtually every game this season. One of those games was a 20 point blowout of the LSU Tigers in the PMAC. But that game is over and done with. In fact, every game up until today is over and done with.

Today at noon CT, however, the LSU Tigers have the chance to continue what could be a history making "run". I say run because it has only been one game so far. And it would still require two more to complete the run. The toughest stretch will be the next forty minutes of game time. And it will require the LSU Tigers to play their absolute best forty minutes of the season.

So you may be asking yourself, what hope is there? To start, I think that LSU has finally convinced themselves that the season isn't over. Whether it was the fire of the 1 and done scenario or the motivation of some seniors that were pissed off after losing at home on senior day, something changed. There was aggression when LSU took the floor against Arkansas.

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I think it's safe to say that LSU finally put on the brakes and ended their losing streak with authority, as the Tigers went on to win 70-54 over Arkansas. Frankly, this is one of the most satisfying wins we have had this season. From the minute we took the lead in the first half, I really didn't think the Hogs would be able to take it away from LSU.

This win is a lot bigger than it seems. An NIT bid might have been questionable with a 17-14 record and on a 4 game losing streak, but now that it was ended, we are virtually guaranteed to play some basketball well into March. Quite frankly, I think with the way the team battled today, there's a much greater chance we will be playing this weekend than there was at dawn.

Johnny O'Bryant played a man's game today. Finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, JOB was a force down low for LSU and his hustle couldn't be matched by anyone else on the court. He shot a suspect 10-17 from the line, but quite frankly, that shows how beastly he was considering it's tough for any player to get that many free throw attempts in a game. Without looking at a game log, you have to figure he was fouled at least 8 or 9 times in the act of shooting, and virtually all of those fouls would occur close to the basket. It's honestly one of the most impressive stat lines a freshman has put up all season, simply because most of it was due to hard work.

JOB wasn't alone today though, as the rest of the team played very well. Ralston Turner finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists and provided a glimpse of what I thought he would be at the beginning of the season. Midway through the first half is when he got hot and was able to knock down some huge shots to cut the Arkansas lead down from 6 and eventually give LSU the lead.

Andre Stringer was also "lethal" from behind the arc as he regained his form and finished with 11 points on 3-4 shooting from 3. Although I thought John Isaac would provide some key minutes, he finished with a big 6 trillion, AKA 6 minutes with absolutely no statistics otherwise.

Up next is the #1 team in the country, the Kentucky Wildcats. More to come on that game later, but you can set your schedules early since it will be at 12:00 CT tomorrow on ESPNU.

Championship week is here and has already produced some fantastic finishes across the country. Overtime games have been common and a bunch of NCAA tournament bids have already been handed out. Although it would require an amazing stretch of wins, there is a bid out there for LSU if they have enough emotion and energy left to claim it. Even a run to the finals might be enough for LSU to claim a bid since it would mean they defeated Kentucky, but that's for another time.

First up is a third game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. In the regular season, the teams split the series at a game a piece and each won on their home court. The Hogs finished in sole possession of 9th in the conference with a 6-10 record, and 18-13 overall. Like LSU, the Razorbacks are going into the postseason with a trip to the NIT possible, but are hoping that they can score a few upsets and return to the Big Dance.

Also, like LSU, the Hogs have started to fall apart towards the end of the season. They are on a two game losing streak, but have lost 5 of 6 with a few 20 point blowouts. The Hogs were able to do what LSU could not and win on the road at Auburn, but that was too little too late to pick up their first road win of the season. February overall was not kind to Arkansas as they lost 7 of 9 total after going 5-3 in January with a pair of ranked wins.

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Championship week is finally here. Less than a week until Selection Sunday. Although it appears unlikely that LSU will hear their names called to go to the Big Dance, there is still plenty of time left to make up for the mistakes of the past two weeks.

The LSU Tigers take on the Arkansas Razorbacks to kick off the SEC tournament, which is being played in New Orleans(which also happens to be the site of the 2012 Final Four). The complete bracket can be found below. The first two rounds can be seen entirely on SEC Network channels before ABC takes over for the semi-finals and finals. You will notice that the format has changed and everyone is seeded 1-12 from now on.

UPDATE: ESPN recently announced that the 2 early games of Friday's quarterfinal round have been picked up by ESPNU (which would include LSU's potential matchup with Kentucky and would have no blackout restrictions on ESPN3.com)

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As much as I want to act surprised about the outcome of this game, I'm really not. Although I thought LSU had enough talent to make up for the lack of effort, that wasn't the case at all. In the final game of the season, LSU played one of the worst games of the year in a 15 point humiliation against Auburn. The loss drops LSU to 17-13, 7-9 in the conference.

On the one hand, I really want to be happy with what the team has accomplished this season. They beat a legitimate top 10 team in Marquette, while splitting with every SEC West team. They strung together a couple of key winning streaks to get their win total higher than it has been in the last two seasons, while doing so with still what is a very young team.

The NIT is still the likely destination for the Tigers, but it's unlikely that they will play at home again this season. As of right now, the SEC is still in flux, but I will be sure to update once the day is done as to where the Tigers might end up in the SEC tournament next week. It is known now that they will be playing on Wednesday, and they are likely to finish as the 9 seed. Most likely they will be playing a team from Mississippi. It's really disappointing, because a win today would have put them in the 7 spot, and with a UF loss tomorrow, Tennessee will be the 2 seed.

Today was a total collapse by virtually the entire team. Ralston Turner and John Isaac were perhaps the only bright spots on an otherwise dreary day. Turner finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while John Isaac had a perfect shooting day while finishing with 9 points. Justin Hamilton was unable to get anything going after scoring the first 4 points of the game, finishing with that total.

There was really no category that LSU won today. They were out-rebounded, outshot both on the field and at the line, had way more turnovers, more fouls, and tons of missed free throws. I said after a similar Ole Miss debacle that LSU needed to just forget about that game, and frankly, that's really all they can do with this game.

After another overtime loss on Wednesday night to the Tennessee Volunteers, the LSU Tigers head out for one last road game as they take on the Auburn Tigers for the final game of the regular season. I imagine the team must feel somewhat subdued after the way that the previous game ended, though they should feel good about their chances of making the NIT. A final road win against Auburn might be enough to get a final home game should LSU fail to get a win in New Orleans next week.

As it stands right now, LSU would actually meet Auburn again in New Orleans in the opening game of the SEC tournament, being that LSU is currently 7th and Auburn is 10th. Because Georgia has a winnable game against South Carolina to finish up, Auburn might need that win to keep their 10th place spot.

The first game of the season was virtually a repeat of what we saw against Tennessee, just with a slightly different ending. LSU took a 7 point lead into halftime, though they had built up a double digit lead earlier in the first half, only to see it evaporate completely before the first media timeout. Auburn would actually take a 6 point lead of their own before LSU battled back. It took a 3 point buzzer beater to send the game to overtime, but LSU was lucky that it didn't cost them the win like it did against South Alabama.

Since that time, Auburn has managed to get 3 wins, but they are currently on a 3 game losing streak and have lost 6 of 7. Frankie Sullivan and Kenny Gabriel are still the best Auburn has to offer in terms of personnel, and every once and a while they will put up some good games, but they have also struggled to shoot the ball with consistency. Auburn as a team shoots it very poorly. In fact, through this season their highest 3 point percentage shooter is only 35%.

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Senior night for the LSU Tigers went from a dream to a disaster as the Tennessee Volunteers rallied from 11 down at halftime to win 74-69 in overtime. The loss drops LSU to 17-12 overall, 7-8 in the conference, while Tennessee is still in the hunt for the 2(?!) seed in the SEC tournament.

Jarnell Stokes was the MVP of the game, shooting a near perfect 9-10 from the field to end up with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Jeronne Maymon was a bit off, but was still able to finish with 14 points, while Trae Golden added 14 of his own. Combined Maymon and Golden shot 17-19 from the free throw line.

For for, it’s another difficult loss to take. It seems like no matter how good of a half they have, you can count on the opposite half being just as bad in the opposite direction. After scoring 35 in the first half, the offense grinded to a halt and only managed to get another 34 the rest of the game. With overtime and the high second half foul totals, LSU should have been able to put up a lot more points.

Defensively, they were not as sharp in the second half, though I do credit Tennessee for playing well and cutting down on their turnovers. Stokes made quite a few veteran moves against the LSU seniors, and certainly has a bright future in the SEC. Even though he beat us, I really like his game and his attitude. He never seemed to get flustered if he made a bad play, he just hustled back to the other end. In the second half, he was rewarded a couple of times with some good passes into the lane for easy lay ups and dunks.

Early in the game, Johnny O’Bryant was able to match up very well with Stokes, and I do think the battle between the two freshmen was as good as you will see anywhere all year. JOB finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds, but with more forwards to share time with he wasn’t able to get into a good rhythm in the second half.

Justin Hamilton once again led the way with 17 points and 9 rebounds, but was unable to come up with a game tying 3 in overtime this time.

Overall, the game left a lot to be desired for LSU, but there’s still plenty to look forward to. At this time last year, the season was all but over weeks ago. At this time, LSU still has a chance to get to the postseason. Auburn is next on Saturday, so hopefully the team will pass the buck and ruin their senior day.

For the first time in two years, LSU basketball will be celebrating Senior Night at the PMAC. The Tigers welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Baton Rouge for the final regular season home game at 8:00 CT tonight. The Tigers will have three honorees, point guard Chris Bass, forward Storm Warren, and forward Malcolm White.

After an extremely disappointing 72-48 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, the Tigers look to regroup and battle the Volunteers for the 5^th place spot in the SEC standings. The loss dropped LSU to 17-11 (7-7), while Tennessee is coming in with a 16-13 (8-6) record, which is why the winner would be in place to finish 5^th.

LSU should have a decent chance at making the postseason so long as they pick up two wins between now and the end of the SEC tournament. With a semi- home court advantage in the SEC tournament, LSU should have a goal of getting to the semi-finals, especially with the relative weakness that every team other than Kentucky has shown recently.

There’s still a lot of ways the season could end for LSU. The dream still has to be to win the SEC tournament and make the big dance as an automatic bid. It’s not entirely impossible with some breaks and a win over at least one team we got beat by this season.

There could be some extreme chance that we finish as the 5^th seed, beat South Carolina, and then Alabama to get our computer numbers high enough for an at large bid after a loss to Kentucky, but I don’t think that is likely and would require a lot of other teams falling apart.

Of course, there’s always the NIT to fall back on. NITology has LSU as a 3 seed in their current projections, and yes, there is such a thing. You can see some of the teams we need to lose on the lines ahead of us, such as NC State, Northwestern, Texas, everyone in the Pac 12 not named California, Miami, UCF, and USF. Obviously, the number of teams you are rooting for goes up exponentially when you get into the conference tournaments, but basically no upsets are wanted there. A 3 seed would give LSU another home game, with the potential for more if the above seeded teams in their bracket were to lose.

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With Judgement week upon us, it's time for one of the last SEC Powerpolls of the season and ATVS's choices for SEC awards. I'm actually a little bit late on the powerpoll since I was travelling Monday, so it takes into account the games up until then.

1. Kentucky- Far and away the best team in the SEC, with far and away the best player, Anthony Davis.

2. Vanderbilt- The Dores were unable to score an upset over Kentucky, which should be troubling since they will likely find themselves playing a 1 or 2 seed early in the 2012 NCAA tournament because of it.

3. Florida- The Gators had another disappointing loss, this time to Georgia. It wouldn't feel good as a Gators fan to possibly be heading into the SEC tournament on a 3 game losing streak.

4. Alabama- The Tide have certainly found their way again after welcoming back their team from suspensions.

5. Tennessee- The Vols have given themselves a legitimate chance at going to the postseason with a scorching hot February. They will probably need 2 more wins for the NIT, but I think they can make it.

6. Ole Miss- A total domination by the Rebels against LSU moves them up in the Powerpoll, but it's not enough to get them to the top half of the standings.

7. LSU- The Tigers push to get back to the NCAA tournament has virtually ended with an embarrassing defeat at Ole Miss, but they should expect to play more games after the SEC tournament is over with.

8. Arkansas- The Hogs are hoping to end a dismal February with a win against the up and down Rebels. At least they finally won a road game.

9. Georgia- Georgia was able to score an upset over UF to basically avoid being in last place. Coach Fox might start feeling some pressure if he can't find a way to bounce back next year.

10. Mississippi State- It's weird, but the 5 game losing streak that the Bulldogs are on might signify that the best team in the state plays in Conference USA.

11. Auburn- It's unlikely that Auburn will be able to finish better than 10th, but they wouldn't mind beating an SEC West rival to end the season.

12. South Carolina- It's all but assured now that SC will be in last place this year. Darrin Horn will have a hot seat this offseason.

You can check Garnet and Black Attack for the results of this poll. Now for the SEC awards, which were compiled by The Georgia Sports Report.

ATVS SEC Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
ATVS SEC Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky
ATVS SEC Breakout Player of the Year: Patric Young, Florida
Surprise of the year: Both LSU and Tennessee
Projected NCAA Teams: Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama
Bold prediction for the future: Not only will Kentucky not win the SEC Tournament, they won't make it to the finals.

With the large amount of mediocrity, anyone can grab the 4th spot and bye in the SEC tournament. Here's how I think it would go now.

1. Kentucky- The 1 seed in the SEC tournament is virtually locked up. The same could be said for an NCAA 1 seed also.

2. Florida- Two road wins for the Gators including a 30 point massacre of Arkansas.

3. Vanderbilt- The Commodores put up over 100 against Ole Miss, and I moved them down. Kind of weird, but I just thought Florida's wins were worthy enough to move them up.

4. Alabama- An up and down February might start to trend upward as more of their suspended players come back.

5. Mississippi State- 3 losses in a row now for the Bulldogs. A loss against Kentucky could put them a little closer to the dreaded bubble.

6. LSU- 3 wins in a row for the Tigers after a big OT win against State and a solid road win against South Carolina.

7. Tennessee- The Vols might not get a postseason invite, but they are playing like they deserve one in the mid to late part of the SEC schedule.

8. Ole Miss- You could put either Arkansas or Ole Miss in this spot. I thought Ole Miss, despite playing terrible against Vanderbilt, had a decent showing at Kentucky for about a half.

9. Arkansas- Two non competitive losses in a row. They could still end up with an NIT bid if they are able to score some wins over the SEC West.

10. Auburn- I feel like I should move the Tigers up after a win over Mississippi State, but it was only their second this month.

11. South Carolina- A win over UGA gives them the 11th spot. It ended a 5 loss streak.

12. Georgia- The Bulldogs are starting to become a pesky team late in the year. Even so, they could finish with 4 losses in the next 4 games.

That makes three in a row now for the Tigers as they head down the stretch of SEC play. It was essentially a win that was brought to us by the three forwards, Justin Hamilton, Johnny O'Bryant, and Storm Warren. At different points in the game, each of them went on mini-runs of their own where they either got LSU a lead or increased it by multiple scores. This win moves LSU to .500 in SEC play with a 6-6 league record, and 16-10 overall.

In the first half, it was Storm Warren that kept LSU from falling too far behind. A key basket with about three minutes left ended a seven minute scoring drought that saw LSU committing numerous turnovers. It wasn't long after that he added another four points on top of that. He later finished with 13 total points and 8 rebounds.

Johnny O'Bryant was next, as he took over for a stretch in the middle of the second half. Although he was only credited with two blocks for the game, his defensive pressure was great during this four minute stretch. He, like Warren in the first half, was the one collecting rebounds on both sides of the court and scoring both inside and outside. South Carolina was unable to match his physical size and style of play, and during this run the lead swelled to 10.

Justin Hamilton, as you would expect, went on his run towards the end of the game. For much of the game, he was effective, but wasn't getting a whole lot of offensive touches(giggity?). Towards the end of the game, the guards realized that they needed to have him score down low once the shot clock was going down. As time was running down, he also found a lot of his 18 points coming from the free throw line. He finished a perfect 8-8 from the stripe.

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While I was out getting hammered for my birthday, the Gamecocks were quietly winning their first game this February. Although it was against the equally as inept Georgia Bulldogs, it's a win that could keep them out of last place if they can get one more this season. Coming off a huge overtime win over Mississippi State, I'm definitely hoping that it doesn't give the Gamecocks any of momentum.

First and foremost, if you missed the end of the Mississippi State game, this is what it looked like.

If you are keeping track, that's two Super Tuesday games that Dari Nowkhah has been at LSU for, and both games were wins in overtime(the first being Auburn last month). No more Tueday games for the Tigers, though, so they will need to find another good luck charm.

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In perhaps the most up and down game of the season for the LSU Tigers, a tear drop from Anthony Hickey with only a second to go was enough for the Tigers to put away Mississippi State in overtime. To go along with the action, there's literally more ways than ever to dissect this game, as both teams had their equally fantastic and horrendous moments, which is perhaps why it was such a thrill to watch.

Perhaps the biggest difference from this game and the first was the three point shooting. Both teams struggled quite a bit from behind the line, and it might have been the centers that had the best game from out there. Both Renardo Sidney and Justin Hamilton hit clutch 3 pointers in OT.

The reason I have a light switch as a picture today instead of an action shot is quite simply because it describes the game more than anything else. To start the game, it was in the off position. For some reason, once LSU decided they had enough when they were down 30-17, they flipped the switch on. From there, the defense shut down Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs went 9 minutes without scoring another point. In fact, over the following 20 minutes after going up by 17, they only managed to score 20 points(LSU scored 35 in that same stretch).

There's plenty of heroes today for LSU, as Storm Warren recorded a double double off the bench. Ralston Turner lead the way with 17 huge points, and of course, Anthony Hickey with the game winning runner and steal in the final seconds. Truth be told, it was the defense of Ralston Turner that really won this game for us, though.

I watched closely on the defensive end, and he was by far the best on ball defender in the game. He was never beaten off the dribble, and at the same time he had 5 crucial rebounds. Hamilton, Warren, and O'Bryant had their hands full with Moultrie and Sidney as you would expect, so it was absolutely key that Turner get the long rebounds and weak side rebounds. I thought before the game it might be Ludwig that would fill this role, but Turner was able to do it while also having a great game on the offensive end.

When the switch was in the off position, though, there was a lot to complain about. As good as Turner was on ball defensively, Stringer and Hickey were getting beat all night by Dee Bost. Bost led the way for the Bulldogs with 15 points and 5 assists, but also 5 turnovers. He was able to drive quite easily and find open shooters like Rodney Hood for a good part of the first half, and was responsible for building up that lead.

Stringer and Hickey were also equally as bad at the offensive end when the switch was off. In a frustrating display of foolishness, the two guards went through a couple of stretches where they simply refused to pass the ball. Instead, they forced up a bunch of contested 3 pointers, sometimes with only one pass or less. The results were as you would expect, airballs and back-board-breaking shots. They were worse simply because the forwards were also out of position, giving LSU no hope of a rebound.

In the end though, it was the defense that won out for LSU. Trent Johnson, although on the hot seat, does deserve credit for coaching a good game today. His adjustments on defense worked very well once he decided to scrap the 2-3 zone and go back to man to man. The green light for Hamilton also worked today, and the substitution patterns were also fantastic in keeping LSU fresh. I blame myself for not noticing earlier, but this was MSU's 3rd game in 5 days, so they were also on weak legs, and it was a smart move to use a lot of substitutions to keep LSU fresh.

The win moves LSU to 15-10, 5-6 in the conference. The NIT looks like a real possibility with a few more wins, and the NCAA tournament is also possible but that would require 6 more in a row. A road trip to South Carolina is next for a game this Saturday. It's certainly the most winnable road game LSU will have this season, as the Gamecocks are at the bottom of the SEC with a 1-9 conference record.

In the second and final Super Tuesday for LSU, the Tigers welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs for the second meeting this season between the two teams. Tip off is scheduled for 8:00 CT and the game will be aired on ESPNU. This game could end up being the final game that takes place between LSU and a ranked team, as the rest of the opponents on LSU's regular season schedule average double digit losses.

The first game between the schools was one of the more exciting games LSU has played this year, though they were unable to get a victory in Starkville. A number of off balance, long, and questionable three pointers by Anthony Hickey and Ralston Turner made the game closer than anyone would have expected, but they were unable to get a final shot to fall and force overtime.

Arnett Moultrie showed why some are starting to question if he is an All American with a huge 28 point, 12 rebound game. It was the highest point total he scored this season, though he's done it twice. Jalen Steele provided the punch from the outside with a 15 point game on 4-6 shooting, including three 3 pointers. Renardo Sidney was held in check for much of the game, and that's something that LSU will have to do again if they are going to win tonight.

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Quite a bit of mediocrity in the SEC right now. We'll have to see if LSU is able to make a late run since I'm not really convinced there's a clear cut favorite for that 5th place spot right now.

1. Kentucky- I'm starting to think they will be in this spot for the rest of the year even if they do lose a game or two. The Florida and Mississippi State games are the only ones I think will give them trouble.

2. Vanderbilt- Of the next best, I decided to put Vanderbilt here simply because they were able to pick up an OK win over LSU, as well as having the best loss. They gave UK a good game.

3. Mississippi State- Despite being behind UF in the standings, they were able to pick up a win this week while the Gators weren't. The Bulldogs will have to be careful of looking ahead to the Kentucky game.

4. Florida- A couple of poor showings this week for the Gators, and it doesn't get any easier with two road games next. Billy Donovan will have to do a great coaching job to keep this team near the top of the SEC with 4 road games left and another game with Kentucky.

5. Tennessee- The Vols make a big jump to this spot after a 2-0 week with wins over UF and South Carolina. They have now won four of the last six.

6. Ole Miss- I could have put any number of teams here without much thought. The 5-5 teams have all beaten each other so much that I guess it's just a gut feeling they go here, for now. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are this week.

7. Arkansas- The Razorbacks get a slight edge over LSU for having a better conference record, despite being blown out this week by Georgia.

8. LSU- The Tigers picked up a much needed win over rival Alabama and their depleted team. Tomorrow is the real test with Mississippi State coming to town.

9. Alabama- The Tide gets a sort of incomplete and dropped behind most of the middle tier because of their suspensions. They were able to win a game this week. Once the suspensions are sorted out we will see how good or bad their postseason hopes become.

10. Georgia- The Bulldogs picked up two great wins this week, and probably deserve to be higher if it were solely based on that. The problem is that it took so long to get those wins.

11. Auburn- The War Eagles have now dropped three straight and are at the bottom of the "SEC West". Perhaps a week off will allow the team to regroup.

12. South Carolina- After five straight losses it's back to the bottom spot for the Gamecocks. Perhaps a couple of home games can get them out of this spot.

As always Garnet and Black Attack will have the results.

It took a while, it took some suspensions, and it took a really ugly game, but LSU finally put away the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 67-58 win in the PMAC. I don't think anyone will say it was a well played game with numerous turnovers, poor outside shooting, and some defensive lapses. By both teams.

The first half couldn't have gone much better for LSU. The 2-3 zone was very effective, and the normally cold shooting Alabama team was just that. LSU started with 8 straight rebounds to Alabama's 0 and it looked like a route was underway. The Tigers took a healthy 16 point lead into halftime, being led by the forwards Justin Hamilton and Johnny O'Bryant.

Of course, it never is that easy for LSU. Alabama started the second half on a 10-0 run to make the game close, and it stayed that way for a good chunk of the second half. Rodney Cooper led the game and the Tide with 28 points on a very good shooting day, but none of his comrades could help him out much on the offensive end.

I thought the most interesting player in this game for LSU might have been John Isaac. He finished with 6 points on a perfect 2-2 from the floor and free throw line game and really bailed LSU out during some scoring droughts in the second half. He was able to use his size, unlike the other guards, and his tip ins were the difference today, IMO. LSU looked like they were getting rattled when they expected to run away with the game, and it was Isaac's instincts that helped salvage some points on ugly possessions.

Going forward, this is likely a game that both teams will want to forget. LSU really doesn't gain anything from this, but it's nice to boost the win total with an easy schedule the rest of the way. Although some of the teams left have improved over the course of SEC play, LSU really doesn't have an excuse to go anything worse than 5-1 the rest of the way.

What does that mean for postseason chances? We will absolutely have to take it one step at a time, but it could get real interesting if LSU is able to close out on a big winning streak. 20 wins would definitely put LSU in the NIT, and if they could somehow creep higher than that the NCAA's remain a possibility if other teams drop some games.

For now, it will have to be a relief knowing that Alabama doesn't embarrass us again. Mississippi State comes in this week, and with a win there LSU could cement a .500 or better record against the SEC West.

BREAKING NEWS: per numerous Alabama sources, Tide starters JaMychal Green, Trevor Releford, and Andrew Steele have all been suspended indefinitely this afternoon and sent home from Baton Rouge for a violation of team rules. They account for nearly 70% of Bama's scoring this season.

Keep an eye on Roll 'Bama Roll for any updates on this.

Rivalry Week finally has some relevance for the LSU Tigers, as their 2012 nemesis from Tuscaloosa returns to Baton Rouge for a 6:00 CT tip. LSU fans everywhere, whether they are basketball fans or not, might have some interest in this game, as it was the Alabama basketball team that embarrassed the LSU team only days after the national championship.

Alabama comes into the game on a three game winning streak, and all three of the wins were over SEC West foes. However, they aren't at full strength, as second leading scorer and rebounder Tony Mitchell is out for disciplinary reasons. It is the second straight game he will be out, but they were able to win on the road in Auburn already without him.

The first game between these two teams wasn't all that close for the final 25 minutes. LSU was able to keep pace for most of the first half, but hot shooting and an offensive collapse by LSU was the difference.

LSU, as has been the case for about a month now, is still looking for that signature SEC win. The home schedule has been good to the Tigers so far, as the only loss was to #1 Kentucky, while they have defeated three of the five SEC West teams at home already. Ironically, both Alabama and Mississippi State are the upcoming games, so we will know soon if LSU is able to at least go .500 against the West this year, a considerable improvement from years past.

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Only a few days after committing to the Baylor Bears basketball team, it seems like LSU's future is as bleak as ever. The reports seem to indicate that he had interest in LSU, but that interest wasn't mutual, or mutual enough for his liking. In a clearly football oriented state that produces many great athletes for the gridiron, Louisiana is on the other end of the spectrum for basketball.

Every couple of years, historically, it seems like there is a can't miss recruit. Recently, however, LSU has been missing them. It started perhaps in 2007 with LaceDarius Dunn going to Baylor as the best recruit from Louisiana. 2008 had Greg Monroe head up to Washington DC to play for Georgetown. The next few years, LSU was able to get the top talent, but it wasn't enough. Matt Derenbecker went to Dayton after his freshman year, while Eddie Ludwig and John Isaac have been role players for their careers.

The correlation seems to be that in the years LSU is at their worst, their talent from Louisiana also happens to be the worst. I think it's a fair opinion to have, but I don't think that tells the whole story. In other words, I don't think it's quite that simple.

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For the fifth time this season, the LSU Tigers fall on the road, this time to the Vanderbilt Commodores. For the second straight road game, however, in a loss I was pleased with the Tigers efforts. Despite the fact that it was a 15 point final, it was much closer for most of the game. The Tigers went into the locker room with a tie at halftime, and for much of the second half it was only a 2 score deficit.

John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor, as mentioned in the gamethread, made the difference. It's not a surprise to anyone that the best players on the Vanderbilt team made the plays they needed to down the stretch. In a somewhat shocking occurrence, Jenkins actually missed 2 free throws, the same amount as he missed in the previous eight SEC games. However, it was only a minor victory as he buried two dagger three pointers with time winding down in the second half.

Festus Ezeli was probably the MVP for the game, as he was unstoppable in the second half for a long stretch. Whether he was getting fouled or getting a dunk, all Vanderbilt had to do was throw it his way and they were coming away with points or a chance for points. If not for his poor free throw shooting, it might have been a much worse game.

The story for LSU was both a few breakdowns on defense during key stretches, as well as extremely poor 3 point shooting. The Tigers finished with a dismal 3-21 night from 3. Hickey and Stringer combined to go 2-16 from 3 themselves, while Hickey was the only player to make those shots. There were also defensive lapses by both the guards and the forwards as both Taylor and Jenkins hit back to back 3's each at different time to add cushion to the Vanderbilt leads.

All is not lost for the Tigers. Alabama is still coming to Baton Rouge on Saturday, and I don't think I need to point out the importance of that game. Whether it helps us get to the NCAA's, NIT, or simply to eliminate bad memories, it's an absolutely key game.

Now halfway through the SEC regular season, the LSU Tigers sit in a tie for 8th place with the Tennessee Volunteers at 3-5. So far, the road has been very unkind to the Tigers in SEC play, as they are yet to win a game. Despite the fact that Vanderbilt has been relatively disappointing this season, it still seems unlikely that LSU will be able to win in Nashville.

The Tigers did pick up a much needed win over SEC West rival Arkansas on Saturday, but with the news that Ricardo Gathers decided to take his talents to Waco, SEC fans will need another win to keep calm. Vanderbilt comes into tonight's 8:00 CT tip off with a stable 16-7 (5-3) record, but with the high off-season expectations, the 'Dores have underachieved so far.

At the beginning of the year, the story/reason/excuse was that Vanderbilt was missing center Festus Ezeli, a starter from last year and an anchor down low. With the ambitious schedule, losses were bound to happen, especially with so many good teams on the schedule.

The early season was a mix of good, bad, wtf?, and meh... losses. Cleveland State, while a decent team themselves, shouldn't have been able to pick up a win on Vanderbilt's home court. Louisville and Xavier were both overtime losses, and hot teams at the time of those games, but you would have expected a senior-laden Vanderbilt team to win at least one of the games. Indiana State is similar to Cleveland State, an OK team, but not a team you expect to see beat the 'Dores.

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The final week before the Superbowl is done. Things will get real interesting from Monday onward. As always check out Garnet and Black Attack for the results later in the week. For now here's what I think about the SEC.

1. Kentucky- No surprises here. They will have some tough competition this week with Florida followed by a visit to Nashville for a prime time game with Vanderbilt.

2. Florida- The Gators have rebounded very nicely from some early losses. Although I thought they might be a disappointment team, they seem to be as good as their ranking right now.

3. Mississippi State- The Bulldogs held off Auburn at home, and it's enough for me to put them here. I think, right now, UF and UK are on another level, but the Bulldogs will have their chance against UK later in the month.

4. Vanderbilt- Two straight losses put Vanderbilt in a tough spot. They have LSU and Kentucky this week, and although they should beat LSU, a loss there could be damaging with the 'Cats playing at a high level.

5. Alabama- The Tide were finally able to finish off Ole Miss in double overtime. It keeps them in the race for that final bye for the SEC tournament.

6. Mississippi- The Rebels have played well ever since the debacle against LSU. They will probably be around the bubble for the rest of the season. They have one win over State already. Could they make it two this week?

7. Arkansas- I wanted to drop Arkansas after losing to LSU, but their SEC play has been superior so far, barely. They could be in trouble if they don't find a way to win on the road. A game against Georgia could be their first win away from Fayetteville.

8. LSU- The Tigers do get a bump after a few weeks of sliding after a gutty home win over the Hogs. The offense looked the best it has all season. Vanderbilt will be tough, but I have a feeling Alabama will be walking into a hornet's nest on Saturday.

9. Tennessee- The Vols didn't hurt themselves by losing to Georgia, but it's not too much to really move them ahead in the standings.

10. Auburn- The other Tigers fought hard against Mississippi State, but didn't have enough defense to pull out a win. Having only 3 turnovers in a complete game is quite impressive though, especially on the road.

11. South Carolina- Neither the Gamecocks or UGA Bulldogs did anything to move, so I don't think I should put them back in last place.

12. Georgia- The schedule doesn't get any easier as the Bulldogs welcome Arkansas this week before two more road games. Beating Arkansas would be a minor upset, and it's certainly possible.