Just two games into the Southeastern Conference season, just three teams remain unbeaten in league play.
LSU is one of them after an impressive victory at Vanderbilt last Saturday and then the triumph over number 9 Kentucky on Tuesday night that pretty much had the entire college basketball world buzzing.
But the nature of that 85-67 victory, shown to all on ESPN, was even more remarkable.
For example, sophomore guard Tim Quarterman, who had scored a total of 25 points in his previous five games, scored 21. And LSU continued to play defense with renewed vigor, far from what the Tigers displayed a week earlier in the PMAC in a loss to Wake Forest.
But at Vanderbilt the switch seemed to go off and against Kentucky, the benchmark of SEC hoops, LSU never let up.
How can you explain it?
“Confusing, huh?” Ben Simmons offered with a laugh.
Well, yeah.
“We’ve really just come together as a team,” said Simmons, who spent much of the first half on the bench watching Kentucky after picking up two early fouls.
“We’re just jelling. Everyone got sick of what was happening and we laid it out and put our goals out and everyone’s stepped up and contributed to that.”
The freshman phenom said simply that the Tigers agreed to “be the best team we could be.”
It certainly appears to be the case as LSU (9-5 overall, 2-0 SEC) heads to Florida on Saturday (12:30 p.m. CT, CBS). Florida (also 9-5) is one of six of the 14 SEC teams standing 1-1 in league play after an 83-60 defeat Wednesday at Tennessee.
By the way, the other unbeatens are Texas A&M (12-2, 2-0) and South Carolina (14-0, 1-0). A&M goes to Tennessee on Saturday, while USC plays host to Vandy.
In other words, the path to a big-time season seems to be paved for LSU if it takes advantage.
“Everyone is making sacrifices for one another,” Quarterman said. “Some people are giving up offense. We’ve got a lot of scorers on our team, but it’s just about making the right plays at the right time. I think we’re making a lot of sacrifices for each other and it’s paying off.”
That was the plan from the start for fourth-year head coach Johnny Jones.
“Teaching these guys and learning and trying to get better, I think that’s a huge part of it and shouldn’t be overlooked,” Jones said. “These guys are trying to buy in and you have to believe to buy in. And I think they believe in what we’re doing and they’ve done a tremendous job of competing at a high level.
“The other thing we can’t overlook was Ben going to the bench early and those guys continuing to stay focused with attention to detail on both ends. They did not get rattled and did a tremendous job for us.”
In his previous two games Simmons had combined for a remarkable line of 56 points on 15-for-23 shooting and 27 of 35 from the free-throw line. Against Kentucky, he played just nine minutes with two points in the first half, but still finished with 14 to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists, a block and two steals.
“I was happy we were up,” Simmons said about watching the Tigers take a 37-27 lead to halftime. “All I care about is winning and seeing those guys out there doing well and keeping the lead I was proud of everybody on the team.
Worth noting is that Simmons went foul free in the second half. There was a time when Kentucky was poised to take the game over, creeping back to 58-54. But with 9:06 left, Quarterman hit a ridiculous seemingly off-balance 3 from the top of the key and then Craig Victor II stripped Jamal Murray, who fouled him en route to the layup.
Victor, the transfer from New Orleans via the University of Arizona who has made quite an impact after becoming eligible six games ago. He had 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and after his big play LSU led 64-54 after the resulting free throw with 8:48 left. The Tigers never led by less than eight again, outscoring Kentucky 14-4 in the final 4:06.
“Craig has brought a sense of urgency and toughness,” Jones said.
Quarterman, who also tied his career high with 10 rebounds, scored 16 of his points in the second half.
“I just went out there trying to be aggressive for my team. I tried to make plays on offense for my team and play good team defense and help us get the win,” said Quarterman, 2 of 4 on 3-pointers with seven assists.
“I didn’t make all the right plays, but I made enough to help our team to get the victory.”
Of course that’s what matters, and now it’s on to Florida where LSU, 10 days removed from that ugly Wake Forest loss, has a chance to go 3-0 in the SEC.
“This game is behind us now,” Victor said Tuesday night. “We’re going to look forward to going to Florida and doing what we have to do to win.”
Talk like that has to make Jones feel good. His team was the topic du jour Wednesday on all the ESPN talk shows, both on the radio and TV, and all eyes will be on the Tigers from here on out – provided they keep winning.
“We’ve got to continue to grow,” Jones said. “We’re excited about it, but look forward to the challenges that are in front of us.”