BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s basketball team will try to go 8-0 for the fourth straight year in non-conference home games when the Tigers host Nicholls State Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Maravich Assembly Center.
Tickets for the contest will be sold at the Maravich Assembly Center box office beginning 90 minutes prior to tipoff. There will be no television for the game, but the game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Network (Eagle 98.1 FM) and on the Internet at
If the Tigers are going to finish the home non-conference schedule undefeated and push the overall home nonconference winning streak dating back to 1997 to 36 games, it appears they will have to do it shorthanded.
Junior guard Collis Temple III, who sprained his right ankle against McNeese State on Dec. 15 and missed the Dec. 18 game with UNO, had just five points in Thursday’s 68-61 loss to Miami and played in obvious discomfort. He has now begun develop tendinitis in the ankle and was held out of Saturday’s practice and is doubtful for the Nicholls State game.
Backup point guard Charlie Thompson, also tried to practice on Friday and Saturday, but was pulled from practice early Saturday as his neck, which was injured against UNO, stiffened up again. He is listed as doubtful for the game.
Coach John Brady did say that he thought that JueMichael Young, who has had four practices since the first exhibition game in early November might make the first counting appearance of his career. The sophomore from Hammond was ineligible last season.
LSU is 9-3 on the season, while the Colonels at 1-8 overall and 0-3 in the Southland Conference. Earnest Porter has been hot for the Colonels since returning three games ago, averaging 22 points a game, including 36 against Troy State with 10 treys.
LSU will go with Torris Bright, Ronald Dupree, Brad Bridgewater and Jermaine Williams in its starting lineup. Antonio Hudson, the freshman from Grambling, got the start the last time Temple could not go against the Privateers.
“We need to work on cutting down our careless turnovers in this game,” said LSU Coach John Brady. “We need to execute within the offense and let things develop on the court instead of rushing to take the first shot.”
LSU will be off following this game until the opener of the Southeastern Conference season on Saturday, Jan. 5, at Alabama at 6 p.m. in a game regionally televised by SEC-TV.