by Ryan Rogers
LSUsports.net
BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s basketball team will face a daunting non-conference foe when No. 5 Arizona travels to Baton Rouge for a 2 p.m. sold out contest.
The Wildcats have a very impressive backcourt. Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner have been a dynamic freshmen duo this year. The two players control the ball well and are hot shooters.
“Gilbert and Arenas are playing as well as any senior guard duo in the country”, explained John Brady.
The Wildcats als have two solid players in the frontcourt. Center Loren Woods, 7-1, is a force inside teams must deal with in order to be successful. He rebounds well giving LSU, a team which usually outrebounds its opponents, a challenge against Arizona.
The Wildcats top player is forward Micheal Wright. Wright is averaging 15.3 points a game. He a great athlete and a clutch player.
Coach Brady hopes his starters can match up to Arizonas.
“If Torris, Lamont, Stromile, and Jabari can neutralize there top four guys well have a chance to win”, said Brady. “Maybe our other forward [Beshara] is better than theirs. Brian had a big night against Arkansas. If he plays well again he could be the key to our success.”
Last year, the Tigers played Arizona in Tucson. The experience should help the Tigers.
“Theirs no substitute for expereince”, explained Brady.
In that game Stromile Swift scored 21 points and added 9 rebounds.
“Im just gonna go out and play hard”, said Swift. “Hopefully I can get into a flow of things and contribute to the team.”
LSU is pushing for an NCAA tournament bid. A win over Arizona would certainly help the Tigers. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip off. The game is not being televised but can be viewed in the e-Tigers Den of LSUsports.net.