Tigers struggle in SEC games

The ship that is LSU basketball has been sinking in recent weeks.

Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are scrambling to turn things around.

Both the LSU men and women have struggled in the early portion of the SEC schedule – ranking in the bottom-half of the conference.

The Tigers have opened league play with an 0-4 record, while the women have won just three of their first six conference games.

Despite the struggles, both teams believe they have the ability to turn things around.

“I think we are a team that understands that we have a lot of room for growth,” LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones said. “We have guys that can continue to improve and areas that we can continue to get better at.”

“I always see room for growth,” Lady Tigers’ coach Nikki Caldwell said. “We just recently got a 10-man roster and we are still trying to find our way. We are trying to find our starters.”

For the LSU men, a couple of bad bounces have separated the team from victory and defeat.

In the Tigers’ SEC opener against Auburn, LSU held a one-point halftime lead and a 37-35 advantage with 14 minutes to play.

But LSU couldn’t find the basket in the closing stretches of the game, which forced the team to fall 68-63.

Exactly a week later against South Carolina last Wednesday, LSU held a four-point lead with 2:41 to play and then never scored again in regulation, thrusting the game into overtime.

Once there, the Tigers’ cold shooting continued and the Gamecocks outscored LSU 13-4 in the extra session to earn an 82-73 win.

“When you get into overtime, you want to strike first,” Jones said. “We didn’t. … We had to fight back.”

One of the reasons for LSU’s late-game offensive struggles has been an inability to score in a half-court set.

For the season, the Tigers are shooting 43.2 percent from the field.

In SEC games, that percentage has dropped to 36.7 percent.

But those numbers are actually a source of optimism for the Tigers, because they believe they will begin to sink more jumpers as league play wears on and younger players grow more accustomed to their roles.

“We aren’t concerned,” LSU junior forward Shavon Coleman said. “We know that we are a team that can shoot the ball.”

Another reason for LSU’s struggles has been inconsistency in the depth chart.

Standout sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III has missed time because of a lingering left knee injury.

O’Bryant has returned to the lineup, but hasn’t been the same player that he was when in 100 percent health.

“Johnny isn’t 100 percent yet,” point guard Anthony Hickey said. “It’s all about getting him better every day. He will get better. We just have to move on and get better.”

Like with the shooting woes, Jones believes the team’s health will improve.

The coach said he knew that with a first-year coach, growing pains would exist for the team.

“I think we are a team that understands that we have a lot of room for growth,” Jones said following the team’s loss to Florida. “We feel that the things that happened and transpired today, we can fix.”

While the LSU men search for offensive answers, the Lady Tigers are searching for a defensive recipe that will allow the team to win conference contests.

Long heralded for dominant defensive play, LSU is now 12th among 14 SEC teams in scoring defense, allowing 65.2 points per game.

That number needs to change if the team wants to have any hope to return to the NCAA Tournament this March.

“We need to improve on defense – without question,” freshman guard Danielle Ballard said. “That’s the most important thing. We are in the SEC now. We are going to go against some hard teams, so our defense needs to be number one.”

Like the Tigers, the LSU women have had their share of opportunities to get off to a strong SEC start.

The Lady Tigers won their league opener against Ole Miss on Jan. 3.

Three days later, they squandered a nine-point lead with 11 minutes to play, losing 77-72 against Florida.

Hangover from that loss carried into the Lady Tigers’ next game – which saw LSU fall behind Arkansas 14-0 in the early minutes of the game.

The Lady Tigers recovered and led 44-41 with 10:58 to play.

They squandered that lead, as well, falling 63-54.

“When we dig ourselves a hole, we have to climb out of it,” Caldwell said. “We fouled too much tonight and that takes your momentum away when you are making a run.”

Offense is actually one of the reasons for LSU’s poor defense.

The Lady Tigers are 12th in the SEC in turnovers, coughing up the ball 17.3 times per game.

A lot of those mistakes end up turning into easy buckets for the opposing team.

“We started turning the ball over and they got their transition game going,” Caldwell said following the team’s loss to Florida. “When you are on the road, you have to take care of the basketball. Turnovers got their momentum going.”

To turn things around, both the Tigers and Lady Tigers have to endure difficult stretches.

The LSU men will take on Texas A&M tonight before playing Kentucky and Missouri – both nationally ranked foes.

The women’s team will play Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Georgia in the coming weeks – all programs in the top of the league.

LSU forward Derreyal Youngblood fires a shot in the lane. The Lady Tigers are off to a slow start in SEC play – something they hope to turn around in the coming weeks.

LSU SPORTS