LSU struggled to find consistency in Tuesday night’s 84-74 exhibition loss to Tulane in New Orleans.
Tulane, picked to finish 10th in the American Athletic Conference by the coaches, was led in scoring and rebounding by big guards Jordan Cornish and Cameron Reynolds. Both were productive, scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds each.
LSU had a big night from veterans Duop Reath and Skylar Mays. Reath finished with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Mays added 19 points.
Wayde Sims and Brandon Sampson also entered double figures for the Tigers.
The Good
Reath was the biggest guy on the floor and dominated the boards, grabbing 13 for the Tigers.
As a team, LSU won the rebounding battle by nine overall. Will Wade’s squadalso grabbed an outstanding 19 offensive rebounds compared to Tulane’s three.
LSU’s size advantage played a big role in allowing them to stay in the game.
The Bad
LSU was an abysmal 16.7% (4-of-24) from 3-point range and only 36.4% (28-of-77) from the floor.
Tremont Waters, LSU’s most highly-touted recruit, played only 13 minutes. He did not score on his four shot attempts and did not dish out a single assist. Many thought it was a foregone conclusion that he would be a day 1 starter.
LSU turned the ball over exactly as often as it assisted on buckets (10 turnovers, 10 assists).
It also didn’t help that Tulane shot over 50% from the floor and from three for the game.
Phil’s Analysis
Reath is going to be a load for teams to handle, but he and the Tigers won’t be bigger than all the teams in the SEC like they were Tulane.
To be competitive in the league, LSU is going to have to find some playmakers at guard and a true floor general.
I expect the defense to improve incrementally throughout the season under Wade.
The part of the game that I’m most interested in following from LSU this year is the body language of the players. What do the guys in purple and gold look like when games are slipping away and things aren’t going perfectly in Baton Rouge?
Under Johnny Jones, it could appear that LSU had packed it in for the night when facing large deficits.
However, change is here, and Wade is a no-nonsense guy who demands the players to buy-in. And if they don’t, there are 4 and 5-star players on the way, and LSU isn’t close to finished on the recruiting trail.
The Tigers will need to make some tweaks before the season opener against Alcorn State.