BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tigers after three losses away from home in the last nine days, looks to get its offense back on track while having to try to stop one of the nation’s most prolific offenses when it faces the University of North Florida Wednesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU is 3-3, while North Florida is 6-2 and averaging 81.8 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent with 96 makes from 216 attempts. LSU is averaging 76.7 points per game and has made 45-of-138 treys (32.6) percent.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. and tickets will be available throughout the day at LSUtix.net and the LSU Athletics Ticket Office. The box office on the upper concourse of the Maravich Center will open at 5:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network with Jim Hawthorne and Ricky Blanton on the call with Kevin Ford as the broadcast host. The flagship for LSU basketball games is Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge with the broadcast also scheduled for KSYL-AM in Alexandria, WBOX-FM in Bogalusa, KFNV-FM in Ferriday, KJIN-AM in Houma, KJNA-FM in Jena, KLWB-FM in Lafayette/Opelousas, KXZZ-AM in Lake Charles, KJAE-FM, Leesville, KMLB-AM, Monroe, KFRA-AM, Morgan City, WWL-AM in New Orleans, KRUS-AM in Ruston, KWKH-AM in Shreveport, KTJZ-FM Tallulah, WFCG-FM in Tylertown, Mississippi and KVPI-AM in Ville Platte.
There will be streaming video on SEC Network+ and WatchESPN.com with Lyn Rollins and Jordy Hultberg the broadcasters.
LSU is coming off a 70-58 loss at Charleston on Monday night in which the Tigers shot just 31.1 percent overall and 6-of-25 in the first half in falling behind 39-17.
After shooting nearly 50 percent in the first three games, all LSU wins, the Tigers have shot 37 percent, 36.4 percent and 31.1 percent in the three losses.
Meanwhile, North Florida was an 80-72 winner over Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville on Monday. Dallas Moore had 20 points with five assists and no turnovers for the Ospreys, while Beau Beech had 16 points and Demarcus Daniels 13.
Moore leads North Florida at 20.3 points per game including 22-of-47 from the arc, while Beech averages 14.4 and 21-of-45 from the three-point arc with Trent Mackey averaging 13.6 points and hitting 29-of-49 (59.2 percent) from the arc.
LSU’s Ben Simmons is averaging 16.0 points and 15.0 rebounds to go with 35 assists in six games, while Antonio Blakeney still remains second in scoring although losing two points on his average to 14.0 points per contests with Tim Quarterman at 12.7.
Coach Johnny Jones met with the media on Tuesday prior to practice and here are a few of his comments:
Opening Statement…
“Obviously, we had a tough setback in our game (Monday) night. We did not get off to the type of start that we would have liked to, especially being on the road in the hostile environment. It’s something that this team will certainly have to get used to. It’s different than last year because of where we were. We never had the opportunity to be in the top-25. We were actually the hunter most of our games and competing and playing. With the preseason ranking in the top-25, we’ve become the hunted. We have not responded in a positive way against some caliber teams that are out there. We are just going to make sure that have to do a better job in terms of our focus, in terms of going into those types of games to give us an opportunity to have a chance to succeed. (Monday) night prior to the game, we talked to our guys about the type of energy and the passion of the team we were going to playing against … the way that they were going to try to come out. We couldn’t try to match their intensity. We were going to have to exceed it. We did not do that in the first half. I thought we were better in the second half. Tomorrow’s game will bring a different challenge for us. This team will be the best shooting team that we have faced all year long. They are shooting over 44 percent from the three-point line. They are very capable from all areas and all guys on the floor. They play about seven guys that are very capable. Their point guard is really good, solid and sound not only in scoring but creating opportunities for other guys on his team. In terms of their three-point shooting ability, we are going to have to be at our best in terms of defending better than we have all year. (Monday) night, we did not do that. We are going to have to make sure that we respond better in this game.”
On energy from the start…
“Especially with a team coming in that’s going to be playing with an edge, an NCAA tournament team from last year, returning all of their guys, they are a very good team. They knocked off Illinois already this year at Illinois. They played at Louisville. They also played St. Louis. They played St. Louis in a great game for a half and wound up losing it in the second half. Louisville only got away from them in the second half, as well. They are a very tough and disciplined team. We have to do a much better job of making sure that we stay attached. When teams make their runs, we have to execute on the offensive end. We have to get better defensively because a lot of our offense is generated on what we are doing on the defensive end. Our guys feed off of scoring and making baskets. We play better. We did not make those adjustments last night when we weren’t knocking down shots. We were 8-of-42 with some of our key guys last night with Tim (Quarterman), Brandon (Sampson) and Antonio (Blakeney) … That’s a tough stat for us to try to win games like that on the road shooting a low percentage.”
On how the young players will respond to adversity…
“Nights like (Monday) night help. Any time you get in a situation like that guys are looking for answers. The game (Monday) night puts them in a situation to think about what actually happened. You can explain to them the part of the scouting report. This is what teams are trying to force you to do. This is what they are allowing us to do. Teams are going to pick their poison. I thought they have done a good job of trying to clog the lane and making sure that the passes are made and trying to chase other guys off of the three-point line in terms of our shooters. That worked. We just have to make sure that we are poised. A lot of times like last night we were one or two passes and taking shots. Against good teams like that you have to grind it out. Sometimes you have to make extra passes, you have to make them have to cover the ball from one side of the floor to the other. Then, you look to penetrate lanes. When you are more patient as a team, those things will open up for you. We were not patient enough (Monday) night to get the shots that we need to come down and force them to have to defend us for a long time.”
On taking good shots…
“When you have guys, especially freshmen who have been the go-to guy in high school and they were a volume shooter, there are a number of shots that are generally taken. Throughout the course of a game, they get in a rhythm, and they play. Now, we have several shooters and guys have to get used to it. There may be a stretch where they are not taking a shot or whatever. That’s the comfort level they are going to have to get to. That’s just a part of learning and playing the game and getting the minutes in and having to go through it to allow that to happen.”