STARKVILLE, Miss. – One game over. Another looming on the horizon.
After grinding out another tight victory, 64-58, over South Carolina Wednesday night at the Maravich Center to go to 16-4 overall and 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference, the LSU men’s basketball team tries to go for another league road win here Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network (with Tom Hart and Jon Sundvold) and in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net and the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network with Jim Hawthorne, Ricky Blanton and host Kevin Ford.
The game will be on these stations in the following areas: Baton Rouge (WDGL 98.1 FM); Alexandria (KSYL 970 AM); Bogalusa (WBOX 92.9 FM); Ferriday (KFNV 107.1 FM); Houma (KJIN 1490 AM); Jena (KJNA 102.7 FM); Lafayette/Opelousas (KLWB, 103.7 FM); Lake Charles (KXZZ 1580 AM); Leesville (KJAE 93.5 FM); Monroe (KMLB 540 AM); Morgan City (KFRA 1390 AM); Natchitoches (KWLV 1907.1 FM); New Orleans (WWL 870 AM; 105.3 FM); Ruston (KRUS 1490 AM); Shreveport (KWKH 1130 AM); Tallulah (KTJZ 97.5 FM); Tylertown, Mississippi (WFCG 107.3 FM); Ville Platte (KVPI 1050 AM).
Mississippi State comes into the game at 9-11 and 2-5 in the league after a 79-73 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford on Wednesday. In that game Craig Sword had his third double figures scoring game in a row and it was a big one with 27points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5-of-7 from the three-point arc. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs still shot 55.6 percent from the field.
Sword averaged 6.9 points per game for the season. Roquez Johnson averages 10.7 points and is the only overall Bulldog averaging in double figures for the season. In conference play, however, I. J. ready leads the team at 11.3 points per game with Sword at 10.6 and Johnson at 10.3.
LSU is expected to start its same lineup for the sixth straight game with Josh Gray (8.9 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Keith Hornsby (12.6 ppg, team best 38 treys) at the guards, Jordan Mickey (15.9 ppg, nation’s active leading shot blocker at 3.7 a game) and Jarell Martin (16.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) at forwards and Darcy Malone (1.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg) at center.
Jalyn Patterson, who was injured in the Vanderbilt game on Jan. 24 is listed as day-to-day after sitting out the South Carolina game while Elbert Robinson III is expected to dress after missing the Wednesday game with an illness.
The Tigers will return home after this game for three straight at the Maravich Center – Feb. 5 against Auburn, Feb. 7 against Alabama and Feb. 10 versus No. 1 Kentucky.
Follow updates on Saturday’s basketball game at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and @LSUBasketball on Twitter. Also follow @LSUBasketball on Instagram and on the LSU Basketball app on IPad.
Coach Jones met with the media prior to the team’s departure for Starkville. Here are some of his comments:
LSU HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening Statement …
“Coming off of a really tough, hard fought battle and victory (Wednesday) night, we are looking forward to a similar challenge in Starkville against Mississippi State. They are a team that knocked off Vanderbilt in Starkville this year. They were able to beat an Auburn team that plays extremely hard at Auburn and have been in several other close games. (Wednesday), they were up on Ole Miss on the road. We know they are a very capable scoring team. They are very tough defensively. They play hard-nosed. They rebound. We know we are in for another competitive SEC battle on Saturday at 1 p.m. We look forward to that challenge and another tough SEC game on the road.”
On Mississippi State’s improvement…
“They had injuries early. They had guys that were out and had surgery. They are back now, and they have had the ability to get into game shape. That’s allowed for their games to be more competitive in the games they have won. The level of their team has risen from the beginning of the season until now where you see the vast improvement in their team.”
On the experience of Mississippi State’s team…
“At the same time, you talk about the experience that their team has. They have some really talented guys who have had an opportunity to play quality minutes when they were freshmen. You look at their team, and they are juniors and seniors now. They have a couple of sophomores scattered in there that are really making a huge impact on their team. That’s what it takes to have a chance to compete, play well and have a great deal of success. I think they have that combination.”
On LSU thriving in tight games…
“Each night is really like that in some form or fashion when you are playing in this conference and with what teams have to offer. That’s why it is so challenging. People compete and try to play to their strength. If it’s the physical defense of that nature or offensive rebounding and getting put backs, that’s something you really have to guard against. For instance, a team like South Carolina, not statistically a good shooting team. How do they score? Getting offensive rebounds, creating turnovers and getting the game ugly to where it’s very difficult for you to score. You go through those battles. When you are able to win those types of battles when you are in there, it’s good. It’s certainly like you are asking them to rise to the occasion and play a different style against a different type of opponent than some finesse style teams. We have been able to play through a lot of different styles and still have been able to have success.”
On the team’s 16-4 record thus far…
“I think the places that we’ve played in the league and even in nonconference and the challenges that a lot of the games presented with the youthfulness of our team and to be sitting there 16-4, you have to feel like you’ve had some really good games under your belt. They’ve been some very competitive games. I think about seven of them have been decided by four points or less. The eighth went into an overtime game that we lost by a little bit of a wider margin at Missouri. When you talk about tight games like that throughout the year and having your share of success in them, you are not satisfied at the end of the day. But it’s gratifying to know that you have stepped up to the challenge and met it most nights.”
On having interchangeable guards…
“Because of the impact that our post guys are able to make in Jarell (Martin) and Jordan (Mickey) and how tough of a matchup they are a lot of times against conventional teams with true centers and power forwards, they have the ability to do some things offensively that a lot of other people don’t. They can actually move out on the perimeter. With that being said, I think our perimeter guys become a better weapon for us. It gives our offense a lot of times the ability to flow a little bit smoother because you have to honor those shooters out there. Then, there are guys that are creative enough off of the bounce to get to the rim and finish there in the lane as well. The versatility of our team is good. As we continue to grow and the spacing on the floor gets better, the good thing is that our guys are being able to trust in each other better. (Wednesday) during the first play of the game, Jordan (Mickey) goes for a high-low to Darcy (Malone), which was a big play for us because Darcy hasn’t been in the lineup. For him to trust him that early in the game to make plays says a lot about how our guys share the ball and the trust factor that goes into it that’s needed.”
On Jordan Mickey‘s shot blocking…
“I can tell you we haven’t spent one segment in one practice working on shot blocking. A lot of his is natural. He did that in high school. It’s timing. Some guys just have a knack for it like Shaquille (O’Neal). Although, Shaquille was a seven-foot-one and a big and imposing person in there, Jordan’s deal is a little bit different. I think because of his wingspan, his athleticism gives him that ability. Plus, he has a really good knack for getting to the ball and watching the release and those things. He takes a great deal of pride in it. It’s nothing that we ever really work on or teach. I’ve been very fortunate during my career… Jordan being here has been really good for us.”
On Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey meeting high expectations…
“I think both of those guys have done a tremendous job, especially losing Johnny O’Bryant III. With the attention given to Johnny last year, people weren’t able to key on them as much. Now, they are a major part of the scouting report. People are keying on them more and trying to take them away. They’ve done a good job in terms of shooting a good field goal percentage, scoring at a good rate for us, creating some opportunities and still impacting the game. We are very satisfied with what they have been able to do being thrust into that role this year.”
On his advice to Josh Gray (recently)…
“The only thing I suggested to him was that he didn’t put too much pressure on himself. I have a great deal of confidence in him and understand some the things that you go through going through that process. I thought he was putting some undue pressure on himself and worrying about too many things on the perimeter and the outside that he couldn’t control. He needed to try to control the things he could between those lines and be the player he is and block everything else out. We are hopeful that he can do that. If he is able to do that, he will be more of an impactful player for us.”
On the SEC-Big 12 Challenge moving to January …
“I think what they are looking for is more of a window of opportunity to showcase the leagues. It’s during the conference season. Obviously putting it on that date, a lot of people that have an interest in it will have the ability to tune in and see. Teams are probably playing their best. It’s not early in the season when you are not trying to feel anything out. The only thing is that it becomes another very competitive game for you in conference season that you have to get ready and prepare for. It is that one game. If the league thinks it’s beneficial and going to create more attention for us, we are excited about it.”