Geaux Lowe Column: Noting, Quoting On Overtime LSU Game At The Greenbrier

BATON ROUGE — The timing is appropriate to bring out a “Geaux Lowe” column to hit some notes and quotes from a weekend at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

There are plenty of notes from that wild 109-102 triple-overtime win on Sunday over UCF.

I’m a month into my 37th season of being a part of the LSU Men’s Basketball program, and over that time I have seen some amazing moments. Some moments that make you wonder what are you watching and then just some crazy things. The Sunday game checked each of those boxes.

First of all, the game statistics book was 29 pages long. That’s every game action noted in the play-by-play book. It’s normally long but 29 pages stretches the paper supply a bit.

Let’s talk overtimes first.

LSU has played 96 overtime games in its history with 43 wins. LSU has played 14 overtimes that have gone multiple sessions. This is the fifth game of at least three overtimes, the fourth of three overtimes.

LSU’s most recent three-overtime game prior to Sunday was a 97-94 win over Alabama in Baton Rouge on Feb. 23, 2013. The complete list of games of three overtimes or more:

Feb. 12, 1972 – 4 OT – Alabama 103, LSU 99
Nov. 25, 2024 – 3 OT – LSU 109, UCF 102
Feb. 23, 2013 – 3 OT – LSU 97, Alabama 94
Feb. 10, 1999 – 3 OT – Alabama 72, LSU 71
Feb. 29, 1960 – 3 OT – Furman 56, LSU 55

This is the third season in the last four that LSU has won in overtime in a neutral-site game. Last year, LSU defeated Wake Forest, 86-80, in Charleston, South Carolina, and then in Nov. 2021, LSU defeated Penn State, 68-63, in Niceville, Florida.

Regarding points in overtime, the 39 points LSU scored in the three overtimes combined is the most by LSU in an overtime game. The previous had been 33 points vs. Ohio State on Jan. 15, 2005, which LSU won, 113-101, in double overtime. It was also the most points scored by an opponent in OT (32) with the previous being the 27 by Alabama on Feb. 12, 1972, in the four OT game vs. Alabama.

One final OT note – this was the second 3-OT game in NCAA Division I thus far this season (On Nov. 16, Missouri State defeated Tulsa, 111-106).

DOWN 20
So you want to get down 20 points and fight your way back to not only force overtime and survive triple OT?

This turned out to be the fourth win for the Tigers, according to stat guru Todd Politz, when trailing by 20+ since 1967 (On Sunday, LSU was down 38-18 with 2:12 to go in the first half.). The last time came on a neutral court at Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta when LSU defeated Wake Forest, 72-70, on Dec. 10, 2022.

LSU was down 39-19 in that game with 4:16 to go in the first half. The Tigers put on a run and was only down eight, 41-33, at the half. LSU would win that game on a Justice Hill layup in the final five seconds.

Since the start of the 1980-81 season, Sunday marked the 14th time LSU has been down double figures and came back to win. It was the first since Nov. 18, 2014 when LSU came from 12 down at the half to beat Texas Tech, 69-64, in overtime.

MINUTES PLAYED
You have to step back a minute and give this coaching staff and strength coach Mike Chatman a lot of credit for LSU not getting fatigued as the game continued to draw on. The Tigers were tired, but still had the stamina to get shots off, even with weary legs.

Cam Carter played 52 minutes in the game, Jalen Reed 48, Dji Bailey 44 and Jordan Sears 41. The last player to play more than 40 minutes in a game was Brandon Murray, when he played 41 against Alabama on March 5, 2022.

Two players played over 50 in the 3-OT game versus Alabama in 2013 – Charles Carmouche (54) and Johnny O’Bryant III (51).

It’s rest and recovery for the Tigers early in this week but Wednesday starts the two-day prep for Friday’s game against Northwestern State. Then the SEC/ACC challenge game is Dec. 3 at home against Florida State. No time to relax.

GREENBRIER
For Intersport, the company which put on the Greenbrier Tip-Off, they couldn’t have come up with a better four teams then they had for their inaugural event at American’s resort. While the event is an attempt to have an Atlantis-type event in Colonial Hall at the resort, there are going to be differences when the building is over 100 years old.

But it was exciting. I don’t think the building damaged play one bit. They may want some more wall coverings next year to take away some of the behind the bleachers look and with two massive projection screens on the end, that would have been a great place to have the broadcast on for replays for the fans, etc.

We are so used to jumbotrons and screens to watch plays again, it seemed like a missed opportunity when all they had up there was the tournament logo and sponsors.

But for the Tigers and Matt McMahon, this was a good venue to learn more about his Tigers.

“It’s been a great trip for us. Obviously, I’d be sick if I was sitting up here 0-2, but I think we found out a lot about ourselves when we were down 20 both at halftime then I think we were down 17 multiple times in the second half,” Coach McMahon said at the postgame media session. “Just kept encouraging our players. We’re going to find out what we’re made of here and just play the next possession, make the next right decision, the next right play to come back from that deficit. I thought owe found some toughness on our team that will really benefit us moving forward.

“You are playing really good teams on a neutral floor in a really small venue. I think that’s the biggest thing. You know, it’s neat. This a historical place here at the Greenbrier. But most importantly for us as a program, to get to play two really good power four teams on a neutral floor is a great experience.”

One thing that wasn’t lost on the local media there was the celebration at the bleachers with the LSU fans in attendance, something the Tigers try to do when they win in Baton Rouge.

“It’s never lost on me, like our players literally worked their whole life to have an opportunity to put those three letters – LSU – across their chest. And it’s an incredible accomplishment. They work extremely hard,” Coach McMahon said. “When you have great moments like (Sunday), it really means a lot to me to get to see them celebrate with their family, especially in the fans that were here with us. If it is just about the results, it is kind of a boring way to go through coaching. I think getting to see those type of moments for our players is very rewarding, and so I’m proud of them and thankful for the great fans we had here in West Virginia.”

WHAT’S NEXT
LSU face Northwestern State Friday night at 7 p.m. CT and then a week from Tuesday, Dec. 3, it’s the SEC/ACC Challenge game with Florida State.

Fans can get a free ticket to the Northwestern State game by showing their LSU-Oklahoma football ticket on Friday night at the box office.

Also, now on sale is a Black Friday sale in which fans can purchase a ticket for one of the following games: Florida State (Dec. 3), Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 8) or UNO (Dec. 22) and receive a free ticket to the Jan. 4 SEC Opener against Vanderbilt.