BATON ROUGE — The LSU fans have responded by purchasing some 11,600 tickets some three hours prior to tip off. Now it’s the LSU Tigers turn to perform as LSU hosts its first postseason game since the 1988 Southeastern Conference Tournament Tuesday night in the second round of the Owens Corning National Invitation Tournament.
The Tigers play host to Ball State University of the Mid-American Conference Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Maravich Assembly Center.
Tickets in the upper level of the Assembly Center remain on sale for $12 each. LSU student general admission sells for $4. Fans who already have their tickets have been asked to use the ramps to enter the Assembly Center on Tuesday to avoid the congestion in the area of the end near the Southwest Corridor. Tickets will be on sale during the day beginning at 8 a.m. at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office and at the Assembly Center beginning at 5 p.m.
There is no live or tape-delayed television for the contest, but the game will be broadcast on radio on the LSU Sports Network and on the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU is 19-14 entering the contest, while Ball State is 22-11. The Tigers advanced with a 63-61 win at Iowa in the first round, while Ball State beat South Florida in the opening round and won at Saint Joseph’s in the first round on Friday.
“Ball State is a team that is extremely talented,” said LSU coach John Brady. “They have beaten UCLA and Kansas this season and played a close game against Duke. They have very good guards that can shoot it behind the arc. But their best player is a 6-9 forward who is good off the post, plus he is shooting 38 percent from the three-point line. So we are going to have to be at our best defensively.”
The Tigers are 7-3 in the last 10 games and winners of 5 of 6 coming into the game. They will be trying to avoid what happen to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament, which lost in the second round of that event to the champions of the Mid-American Conference, Kent State.
LSU will go with its starting lineup of Torris Bright and Antonio Hudson at guards with Ronald Dupree, Jermaine Williams and Brad Bridgewater at the forwards. Dupree comes in, averaging 16.2 points per game and 8.5 rebounds a game. Ball State’s lineup features 6-8 junior Theron Smith who comes in averaging 19.9 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game. Seven foot center Lonnie Jones averages 2.6 blocks per game. Also averaging in double figures are guards Patrick Jackson (16.7 points per game) and Chris Williams (15.8 ppg).
The winner of the LSU-Ball State game plays the winner of the UNLV-South Carolina game in the bracket quarterfinal with the winner going to New York City for the semifinals. The date, time and site for the game will not be determined by the NIT committee until the end of play on Tuesday.