After Monday night’s 87-67 win over Southern Miss, LSU took Tuesday off before beginning preparation on Wednesday for Saturday’s final non-conference game against Savannah State.
The Tigers and SSU will meet Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Tickets are available at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office on Friday, online at LSUtix.net and beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Maravich Center.
Here’s an update on some notes regarding the Southeastern Conference and LSU Basketball:
Nearing The End of Non-Conference Play In The League
As of the end of the 2014 portion of the season, the SEC owns the nation’s No. 1 non-conference strength of schedule (.5477) with the SWAC second at .5416 with the Big East third at .5407.
The SEC owns the nation’s No. 3 non-conference RPI (Big 12 at .5938, the Big East at .5834 and the SEC at .5689. The SEC has 6 schools with an RPI in the top 58 and a non-conference record of 111-50 after play on Dec. 31.
LSU opponents have the fourth-best winning percentage of opponents thus far for teams of the SEC with a record of 62-42 (.596), which is an RPI factor. Only Kentucky (.684), Georgia (.663) and Missouri (.620) have better opponent’s records.
LSU has presently the second longest winning streak of seven games in the league, topped only by Kentucky. Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU are the only schools entering the New Year with double figure wins.
Speaking of LSU’s Win Streak
With the win against Southern Miss (12/29), the Tigers have seven straight wins, the longest winning streak of Coach Johnny Jones‘ three years at LSU … The seven wins equals the Nov. 29 to Dec. 29 winning streak of 2011 … Ironically, this winning streak began on Nov. 29 against McNeese State and includes two road wins (one at No. 16 West Virginia).
The Tigers will be trying for eight straight wins Saturday which would be the longest win streak since LSU won 10 straight during the 2009 season (Jan. 28 to Feb. 28).
Jordan Mickey Block Party
Jordan Mickey, who last year became just the second LSU player other than Shaquille O’Neal to post 100 blocks in a single season, has been blocking shots in numbers similar to last year, especially in the last three games. The sophomore had 7 at UAB, 6 vs. Charleston and 6 vs. West Virginia.
For the season, remember he missed a game at the end of November so he has played in 11 games with 38 blocks. He leads the league with a block average of 3.5 a game.
Through his first 11 games of his career a year ago, Mickey had just one more block, 39.
Mickey now has 14 games of five blocks or more in his career.
Double Doubles For M and M; And Quarterman As Well
Both Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin have had double double success this season. Mickey has had back-to-back doubles with 15 points, 10 rebounds versus Charleston (12/22) and then 14 points, 10 rebounds against Southern Miss (12/29) … That now gives him a league co-high 7 this season and a league high for active players in a career with 16.
Martin has twice come close to double doubles in the last two games with nine boards. He has five double ups for the year, six for his career … Tim Quarterman, a guard, threw his hat in the double-double party with his career first this past Monday against Southern Miss, getting 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Mickey is averaging just under a double-double with 15.6 points and 9.9 rebounds, while Martin leads the team and SEC in scoring at 17.5 points and just behind Mickey in rebounds at 9.0 rebounds per game … The pair runs 2-3 in rebounds average in the league.
Assists to Made Baskets
LSU had its best night this season against Charleston (12/22) making 22 buckets with 17 assists (77.3 percent) and followed that the next Monday (12/29) with 35 baskets and 22 assists (62.8 percent) against Southern Miss. LSU’s two other games of 60 percent assists to baskets came against Sam Houston (26 baskets, 16 assists, 61.5 percent) and McNeese (33 baskets, 20 assists, 60.1 percent).
For the season, LSU has had 193 assists for 342 made baskets or 56.4 percent. LSU is averaging 16.1 assists a game, sixth in the league, but just 0.7 out of second.
Points In The Paint
LSU posted its most points in the paint Monday against Southern Miss (54) and it marked the third time this year LSU has had 50-plus points in the paint this season.
LSU had 52 points in the paint in wins against Weber State (11/22) and UMass (12/2) … In the halves in which LSU shot 60 percent, the Tigers had 34 points in the paint against Weber and 32 in the paint against McNeese State (11/29). The latter 32 came without Jordan Mickey on the court as well as he DNP in that game.
LSU is averaging 40.5 points in the paint for the season, compared to 30.0 points for the opponents.
Coach Jones Goes For 50 AT LSU
The Tigers will go to the post for the 78th time with Coach Johnny Jones at the helm Saturday and he will go for his 50th win as the LSU coach. He has a record of 49-28 in his tenure at LSU, winning 19 games the first year and 20 contests with a win in the NIT last year. His 39 wins marked the most wins by an LSU coach in their first two years on the job and he was the second LSU coach to take a team to a post-season tournament in their first two seasons.
He is in his 15th season as a head coach (1 as interim coach at Memphis, 11 at North Texas and 3 at LSU) with an overall record of 254-190 … This is also his 20th year at LSU in some basketball capacity – 4 years as a player, 13 years as an assistant coach for Dale Brown and now three years as a player.
Scoring Averages
The stats show it perfectly – five players averaging in double figures having scored an average of 68 of LSU’s 75.7 points through the first 12 games … Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey, Keith Hornsby and Josh Gray have been in double digits since the season began and Tim Quarterman cracked that shortly after he became a 30-minute man for the Tigers … Martin is at 17.5 points per game, Mickey at 15.6 ppg, Keith Hornsby 13.3 ppg, Quarterman at 11.0 ppg and Gray 10.6 ppg.
Martin is first, Mickey is eighth and Hornsby is 14th in the SEC in scoring.
L’Auberge Luncheon
The January Johnny Jones Tipoff Luncheon is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the Bon Temps Buffet at L’Auberge Resort in Baton Rouge. Coach Jones will take a look back at the non-conference schedule and what lies ahead as LSU prepares for the Southeastern Conference schedule that opens on Thursday (Jan. 8) at Missouri (6 p.m.).
The monthly gatherings at L’Auberge for good food and basketball conversations are presented by Hub International.
The L’Auberge Resort is located off Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge at the Bon Temps Buffet. The Buffet is available at 11:30 a.m. and the program begins at 12:10 p.m. To get to the L’Auberge resort from the LSU area, follow LA-30 N. /Nicholson Drive. Turn Left onto L’Auberge Crossing Drive and follow the signs to L’Auberge Baton Rouge.