BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tigers will try to put the defensive clamps on a fourth straight opponent Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center when the UC Irvine Anteaters come to town.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised regionally by Cox Sports TV and broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (New Country 100.7 The Tiger in Baton Rouge). Live scoreboard video will be available in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net in areas outside the CST viewing area.
Tickets will be on sale during the day on Thursday at the LSU Athletics Tickets Office and online at LSUtix.net before going on sale at the PMAC upper concourse ticket windows at 5:30 p.m. LSU Students are admitted free with a valid student ID.
The first 2,500 fans will receive the just released BCS Championship Game poster produced by the LSU Publications Office for the Jan. 9 football game between LSU and Alabama. Also, the “Teams of Tomorrow” which is a group of children who perform dribbling skills at various basketball events will perform at halftime.
The Tigers (6-3) have held three straight opponents under 60 points in winning at Houston, Rutgers and this past Saturday night at home against Boise State. LSU was a 64-45 winner over the 8-2 Broncos, pulling away in the final eight minutes of the contest, using a 22-8 points in the paint total while holding Boise State’s leading scorer without a point.
The defensive effort marks the first time since LSU held at least three straight opponents under 60 points since a five-game streak in late December 2006 that carried over to the start of January 2007.
LSU will again be without starting off guard Andre Stringer who fainted last week in practice prior to Saturday’s Boise State game. Coach Johnson said that tests are still being conducted to determine his status for future games. Reserve guard John Isaac suffered a knee strain in the shootaround prior to the Boise State game and is listed as questionable for the UC-Irvine game.
Eddie Ludwig stepped into the Stringer role for the Boise game and played a career high of 33 minutes and the junior from Metairie pulled down a career high nine boards. Expect him to be joined in the lineup by freshman Anthony Hickey at the point (11.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.2 apg) and sophomore Ralston Turner at guard (9.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg) with freshman Johnny O’Bryant III at the other forward (9.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Justin Hamilton gets the start at center (11.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg).
Hamilton had 14 points to lead the Tigers against Boise, while Hickey had 11 with O’Bryant III and senior Storm Warren scoring 10 each.
UC Irvine (2-7) has won two of its last three games after starting 0-6, defeating San Diego (99-79) and Vanguard (75-73) before losing at Wyoming, 58-48, on Tuesday night. Daman Starring, a transfer from Centenary when the Gents transitioned from Division I to Division III, is the leading scorer at 12.9 points per game with Michael Wilder the other double figure scorer at 10.7 points per game.
After the UC Irvine, LSU will host nationally-ranked Marquette Monday night at 8 p.m. Follow LSU Basketball on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and on Twitter @LSUBasketball and @LSUCoachJohnson.
Here are Coach Johnson’s comments from the media session earlier in the day on Wednesday:
Opening statement…
“It is the time of the year when you get nicks and bruises. We have some guys that are banged up. We have three games in eight days, and we have to compete at a high level. We need to finish on a high note before we head into Christmas. UC Irvine is playing a lot better than they were at the beginning of the year. Early, they were real competitive versus California. The game last night against Wyoming, they could have won. Offensively, their system is like it was when their coach [Russell Turner] was with the Golden State Warriors. They really want to push it [up the floor] with four perimeter players and a post. They want to get up after you defensively. Our preparation has been similar to preparing for Boise State because they play similar. They are quick and very athletic.”
On the progression of Johnny O’Bryant III …
“Johnny is a bright kid. Even though he is 6’9” and 260 pounds, he is still young and a kid. He is just 18 years old. He knew what he was getting into. It speaks volumes to him as a kid, and his mom that they knew what he needed. He is in a situation here where we have great seniors in Storm Warren and Malcolm White where he doesn’t have to do everything right away. He is able to learn at a good pace. He has the tools and the gifts.”
On the play of Jalen Courtney…
“I talk to Jalen all the time about playing big, strong and using his strengths. Sometimes, he has the tendency to want to play on the perimeter. He is no different than a lot of our guys when I say ‘see the floor, see the game.’ Too many times our court awareness is not where it needs to be. We are making passes and not seeing the defender. Coming out of high school, he played the four or five. Now he is on the perimeter, and I have been pleased. It is a great opportunity for him and Eddie Ludwig.”
On Eddie Ludwig…
“He played the three position in Italy. Because of the play of Ralston [Turner] and Andre [Stringer], his minutes have been limited to this point. Versus certain people, he will be able to help us. He did a great job chasing [Anthony] Dmric of Boise State off the three. It was a good matchup because of his size and strength. I am very comfortable with the play of Eddie.”
On When Ludwig Can Be Most Successful…
“It will be an advantage when we can get him in situations where his intelligence, and the defenses we are playing, force the opposition to the baseline taking away the middle help. If he is playing an undersized four and not overly explosive, we will like that. Understanding the angles is important. If you understand that a player likes to go right off the bounce, you have to be able to turn and step-slide or turn and sprint. Everyone on this team has to study the scouting report and trust your teammates.”
On the effect of Andre Stringer‘s injury…
“We are always going to be inside-out oriented. With Andre out, we need some guys to step and not try to be like Andre but be themselves. John [Isaac], Jalen [Courtney] and Eddie [Ludwig] are going to have to work on making post-entry passes, moving without the ball and defending the ball at the point of attack. When there is time to score or pressure, they will have to play at the level of confidence that Andre was playing with before he got hurt.”
On the defense…
“We have to continue to stay consistent and not have a lot of mental and physical breakdowns. The thing I like about this group is that the competition has been different, and they have stayed aggressive. The more games we play, the more we will find out if that will stay.”
On taking charges…
“I have always believed in [taking] charges. When you block a shot sometimes, you don’t get possessions. With charges you get a foul, it’s like a four-point play. We are not very explosive on the back line in terms of blocking shots, and we are not extremely quick out front. We had to make adjustments, and we made them going into the Italy trip. We had to force teams to the sidelines, rotate over and front the post. If we are doing things properly, the ball is not in the middle of the floor. They get it on the wing entry we have to force him one way. That creates the charge opportunities. We knew with Justin’s [Hamilton] size and his ability to understand he will front the post. On the weak side, we will have to rotate over. Those are the things that will impact winning from a player stand point that has nothing to do with scoring. Every team that I have coached and will continue to coach will do the little things. One of the little things is taking charges.”
On Anthony Hickey…
“He was more of a scorer in high school. Eight out of his 21 turnovers are unforced and real careless. He is second in the league in assists, but he has had some defensive breakdowns. His assist-to-turnover ratio should be higher, and he should be leading the league in assists. He doesn’t give up the ball unless he is being careless. Now he is going to be the focal point for other teams’ defenses because he is an impact on how this team plays. His ability to be smart, think, and play through certain situations will be important. The most important thing is still taking care of the ball. He has held up very well against tough competition.”