BATON ROUGE — One of the most significant streaks in LSU basketball goes on the line for the first time in 2007 when the 13th-ranked Tigers host the Auburn Tigers at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tickets for the game are available online at www.LSUsports.net for $14 and $5 for youth (ages 3-12) and at the upper ticket windows of the Maravich Center beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be regionally televised on the SEC’s syndicated network through Lincoln Financial Sports and the radio broadcast will be available through the stations of the LSU Sports Radio Network and at www.LSUsports.net in the “Geaux Zone.”
LSU will put a 17-game home conference winning streak on line against Auburn, the longest in the 36-year history of the Maravich Center and the third longest in the history of LSU basketball. The Tigers won the final home game of the 2004 season against Ole Miss and went undefeated at home (8-0) in both 2005 and 2006, the first times LSU was undefeated at home since 1981.
Plus the Tigers have won 34 games in league play the last three years combined, the most of any of the 12 teams in the league.
LSU is 11-4 overall, 0-1 in the SEC after losing 71-61 at Alabama on Tuesday night. The Tigers fell behind double digits, a margin they could not make up, after missing 30 first-half shots, hitting just 12-of-42.
“We’ve got to shoot a little bit better,” said LSU Coach John Brady. “Our team is trying to find a consistent option in the perimeter. We’ve been doing it by committee, but sometimes they don’t show up. If our team is going to be the team we want it to become, we’re going to have to have someone else be a consistent 10-12 point a game guy. We’ve got to shoot the ball less and be more patient until someone else develops a little better offensive game.
“I’ve got to give them more confidence and encourage them more,” said Brady. “It’s my responsibility. We have good shooters, but I have to get them confident enough that they’re going to make it.”
The Tigers got plenty of points and effort from All-American junior Glen Davis, who despite sore ribs from a Sunday auto accident, scored 24 points and was one off his career high with 17 rebounds against Alabama. Tasmin Mitchell contributed 19 points but they were they only two LSU players in double figures.
It appeared that Coach Brady might make a lineup change for the game on Saturday as three-point shooter Terry Martin, who hit 15 threes in his first five games before going 0-of-5 in the last two for three-pointers and 1-of-14 from the field, was involved almost exclusively with the starting unit for Friday’s practice. Martin would go in for Dameon Mason, but expect both of the transfers to see extensive playing time.
Auburn (11-6) is 1-1 in the league after winning at home against Vanderbilt (68-65) and losing Wednesday night at Kentucky (84-57). They are coached by Jeff Lebo in his third year at Auburn.