BATON ROUGE — After clinching the SEC Western Division title last Wednesday, the LSU men’s basketball team secured a share of the overall Southeastern Conference title with a 64-60 win over the Ole Miss Rebels in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at the PMAC.
The Tigers (25-4, 12-4) will share the SEC crown with the Florida Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky’s 85-70 win over the Gators on Saturday gave LSU and Tennessee the opportunity to become co-champions. This marks the first time in history that more than two teams have been crowned SEC champs. It also marks the first time since the 1990-91 season that LSU has claimed a share of the SEC title.
The victory over Ole Miss (17-12, 5-11) not only gives the Tiger program its eighth Southeastern Conference Championship, but it also equals one of the greatest turnarounds in terms of wins in SEC history. The 1992-93 Vanderbilt Commodores finished the season with a 14-2 SEC record, an eight-game improvement from the previous year’s 6-10 record. Last season, the Tigers finished with a 4-12 mark in the conference.
Before the game lone-senior Jabari Smith was honored by head coach John Brady, his mother and sister, his teammates, and an Assembly Center crowd of 11,511.
“This has been a real special season,” said Smith. “This is the first time in my life that I cut down the nets. The fact that today is Senior Day only makes this more memorable. I hope we can put the celebration aside and get ready to go win another championship so we really can make this season one to remember.”
In order for the Tigers to have success in the upcoming SEC and NCAA tournaments, coach Brady feels the Tigers need to improve offensively. Ole Miss was allowed to remain within striking distance throughout the game despite shooting just 28.6 percent from the floor in the first half. Although the Rebels improved shooting in the second half, Ole Miss finished the game just under 37 percent from the field.
“I told our team that the things we displayed from an offensive standpoint, the unselfishness that we had shown, we were not showing that today,” Brady said. “We found a way again. The last three games we have played we have just found a way to get it done.”
Junior Lamont Roland led the way for the Tiger offense with a game-high 16 points. His 18-footer at the 18:01 mark would begin a 6-0 run to start the game for the Tigers . The Rebels didn’t hit their first field goal until junior Jason Holmes knocked down a three-pointer with 15:47 left in the first half. LSU would answer on the ensuing possession with an old fashion three-point play from Jabari Smith, whose four-footer and free-throw sparked another 7-1 LSU run.
Both teams would trade baskets before Smith found Ronald Dupree cutting to the basket to give the Tigers their biggest lead 27-13. But the Rebels would not go away quietly. As a team, Ole Miss out-rebounded LSU offensively 10-to-3 in the first half of play. Junior point guard Jason Flanigan would score eight of his team-high 14 points in the final three minutes of the first half to cut the LSU lead to seven, 32-25, before heading to the locker room.
The second half did not begin well for LSU as Smith picked up his third personal foul with just 29 seconds gone in the half. With the Tiger big man in foul trouble, Rahim Lockhart would go to work inside. The 6’8″ forward would score two quick buckets before picking up his third foul. After drawing Stromile Swift’s second personal, Lockhart would hit one of two free-throws before picking up his fourth foul with 16:58 left to play.
Ole Miss continued to chip away at the Tiger lead, and a three-pointer by Harrison would give the Rebels its first lead of the game. The physical play continued as Swift found himself with four fouls and over 10 minutes of basketball left to be played. Over the next five minutes, both teams would exchange baskets and leads. And with 5:46 left in the game, Swift would pick up his fifth personal, and the Tigers trailed 52-51.
On the next Tiger possession, point guard Torris Bright hit a three off of a Brian Beshara pick that gave LSU a lead they would not relinquish. The Tigers would hit six of their last eight free-throws, and saw four starters score in double figures.
The Tigers finish the regular season with a 15-1 home record and its best attendance mark since the 1994-95 season. LSU heads to the SEC tournament in Atlanta, Georgia next weekend with a first round bye and a nine game win streak.
“I couldn’t be prouder of a collection of young people than I am of the ones that make up this LSU basketball team,” said Brady. “There is no way you can say enough to give the players the credit they deserve for what they have been through and they have accomplished. At the moment, there is not a better story in college basketball than what has happened in Baton Rouge and at LSU. There is not one better anywhere.”