LSU Out for Revenge in Baton Rouge
LSU (7–2, 0–0)
College of Charleston (8–3, 0–0)
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
8:00 pm tipoff on SEC Network
The high-water mark on the Cougars’ surprising 2015–16 season was undoubtedly the November evening when they took down #1 draft pick Ben Simmons and the LSU Tigers on John Kresse Court.
From the Tigers’ perspective, the loss was just one of a series of disappointments on the road from preseason Top-25 rankings to postseason absence.
This time around, Simmons is gone, along with the weight of expectations for Johnny Jones and LSU. So far this season the Tigers have looked like an average SEC team. They have wins over Wofford, Old Dominion and Houston.They have a pair of double-digit losses to Wichita State and VCU. Ken Pomeroy has the Tigers ranked 97th currently, behind Davidson (67), UCF (94) and The College (87).
The Cougars are also without the focal point of their team from last year’s meeting. Don’t forget, even though Canyon Barry missed most of conference play last season, his 19 points against LSU were critical.
So, in the span of one calendar year, this matchup has changed quite a bit. But at the end of the day, LSU is still the major conference favorite and CofC is the pesky mid-major looking for an upset.
The focal point of LSU now is the other much-hyped freshman they brought in two summers ago. Antonio Blakeney, who was 0–9 from the field against Charleston last year, is now the leading scorer on his team with 17 points per contest.
Funny enough, Blakeney has some familiarity with CofC’s Grant Riller. The two are both from the Orlando area and it was actually Riller who beat out the LSU commit for their region’s MVP honor. Riller obviously was robbed of their matchup last winter.
He won’t be the only one needing to play a bigger part on LSU’s home court to walk out with a victory. Chealey, Brantley and Nick Harris — who had his breakout game against the Tigers- will have to get physical to do battle with the SEC size of Jones’ team.
It may be an oversimplification, but the losses to Wichita State and VCU show that LSU’s athleticism does not do them any favors against top defensive teams. The Cougars should be confident in that pillar after what they showed against Davidson and East Carolina. Getting production from their bigs and bench will be key for Charleston.
A true road game against a Power 5 school is no easy task. Hopefully, the Tiger fans are more focused on the Citrus Bowl and the holidays than creating a tough environment for the Cougs. It will take a total effort for Charleston to walk out with a victory - they could use help anywhere they can find it.
