Chris Wallace
Rivals.com Editor
With nine wins in its last 12 games, an overall mark of 15-8 and an SEC record of 8-4, LSU is playing its way into the NCAA tournament.
Many observers thought the Tigers might be tough to deal with this year, especially in the paint with returning standout Brandon Bass and highly touted newcomer Glen Davis.
It took the 6-foot-9, 310-pound Davis, whose nickname is “Big Baby,” a little while to get acclimated to the college game, but as the season has progressed and he’s gotten more comfortable, he and Bass have proven to be a handful for opposing teams, as was the case last week.
LSU posted impressive SEC wins against Mississippi State and Florida, and by virtue of his play in those victories, Davis has been named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week.
The Tigers opened their week by picking up an important road win in Starkville against the talented but slumping Bulldogs on Wednesday, 80-72. They used a 19-3 second-half run to take control of the game and cruised from there to just their second road win of the season.
Davis, a Baton Rouge native, played a huge role in the victory as he scored 19 points, pulled down nine rebounds and added two blocks. He converted 8 of 11 shots from the floor and 3-for-6 from the foul line as LSU moved into second place in the SEC West.
“We knew we needed a big road win,” said Davis, who was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 13 player in the country as a high school senior. “We knew we had to go and play a great game. We had to be competitive, and we had a great win.”
Three nights later, the Tigers played host to red-hot Florida and picked up a hard-fought 77-73 victory.
The Gators tried to limit Davis’ touches on the interior and the big man only got five shot attempts in the game. But he made the most of his opportunities, contributing 11 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
Davis is now averaging 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on the season for LSU, which returns to action tonight for a huge home game with SEC West-leading Alabama.
Even more impressive has been Davis’ play in conference games, where he’s upped his numbers to 14.5 points and 10.2 boards per outing. Davis also shoots 51 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the foul line.
But despite his success this season, Davis knows that there’s still room for improvement, saying, “Sometimes I still play like a freshman, like I’ve still got a lot to learn.”