NASHVILLE — The LSU men’s basketball team’s 2000-01 season came to an end on Friday evening when the Tigers ran out of gas against Arkansas and fell, 77-72, in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament held in Nashville.
LSU finished the season at 13-16 overall and advanced to the second round after defeating Georgia, 63-62, in the first round on Thursday.
The Tigers, who led by as many as 16 in the first half, fell behind by 11 late in the game after an Arkansas 8-0 run. But, just as it hasn’t all season, LSU didn’t give up. With one last push, LSU closed the gap to three with less than one minute remaining. After falling behind 74-70, a turnover in the backcourt with 20 seconds left sealed the Tigers’ fate.
Dupree led the Tigers with 22 points, while Collis Temple III had 20, Torris Bright had 13, Jermaine Williams had seven and Brian Beshara had six. Jason Wilson and senior guard Jack Warner each added a field goal off the bench.
Missed free throws cost the Tigers a chance at its second straight upset, as LSU made only 25 of 40.
The Tigers struggled throughout the season with only five healthy and eligible scholarship players due to NCAA sanctions handed down on the program after the 1996-97 season which prevented coach John Brady from replacing scholarship athletes who did not complete their eligibility.
However, these five — Beshara, Bright, Dupree, Temple and Williams — fought through adversity to make their fans, their school and their state proud.
Brady and his staff — assistants Kermit Davis, Butch Pierre and Donnie Tyndall — held this Tiger squad together despite not having enough healthy players with which to practice for much of the season.
Lamont Roland, a senior guard, was injured at the mid-way point of the season when he blew out his knee. Brad Bridgewater, a sophomore who looked to be the Tigers’ starting center, was injured before the season began. Brian Green, a walk-on from Baton Rouge, broke his leg in practice late in the SEC season, further depleting the LSU practice and travel squad.
Junior college transfer Jason Wilson, true freshman Charlie Thompson and senior Jack Warner stepped up when called upon to give the starting five a breather. Each played a role in building a program Brady has tried to establish in spite of the tremendous odds against him.