LSU Basketball: Paradise Jam Preview

Who: Old Dominion Monarchs (2-0) vs LSU Tigers (2-0)
What: Paradise Jam
When: Friday, Nov 21 - 5:30 PM
Where: U.S. Virgin Islands (University of the Virgin Islands
How:
***TV: CBSS
***Radio: 98.1FM
***Steam: paradisejam.com ( Basketball Travelers Inc. will live stream all games worldwide using the NewTek TriCaster 8000 and NewTek 3Play 440 via ParadiseJam.com with games on CBS Sports Network only available on ParadiseJam.com outside of the United States.) *Only available online if in losers bracket*

LSU and Old Dominion come into the Paradise Jam In-Season Tournament as the only two teams with two victories over division 1 opponents, and will face off in the first round as two of the top teams in the field. LSU has two home wins against Gardner Webb and Texas Tech, while Old Dominion has defeated UNC Wilmington and Richmond.

The winner/loser of the LSU vs Old Dominion game will face the winner/loser of the Illinois St vs Weber St. Illinois St lost their season opener and only game thus far to Utah St 60-55 at home. Weber St also lost their oper to Utah St but on the road. They also beat Div 2 Presentation College to move their record even.

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On the opposite side of the bracket are some more recognizable names. Clemson out of the ACC and Seton Hall out of the Big East are both teams from power basketball conferences that would be a big RPI boost team. Nevada out of the Mountain West is a strong, fundamentally sound west coast squad that can give opponents fits.

This tournament will test LSU in a very tough way. LSU has relied heavily on their top 4 players, who each average over 32 minutes per game. Formatted to play 3 games in 4 days, this tournament will force LSU to either play tired, or use more of their bench. LSU does have 8 players averaging over 10 minutes per game, but they will need more minutes from Patterson (12.5MPG), Elbert Robinson (11.0MPG), Aaron Epps (13.5MPG) and Brian Bridgewater (5.0MPG) to help keep LSU's legs energized throughout the weekend.

Old Dominion

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Projected Starters:

Trey Freeman (6'2" 175 Jr)
Jordan Baker (6'2" 205 So)
Aaron Bacote (6'4" 186 Jr)
Richard Ross (6'6" 236 Sr)
Jonathan Arledge (6'9" 232 Sr)

Old Dominion is a half court team. They will try and slow down LSU to a crawl. They average an extremely long 23.8 seconds per possession, while LSU averages only 14.8 seconds per possession. That staggering difference in pace makes it a key to this matchup. LSU will want to get out in transition and push the tempo. Old Dominion hasn't allowed an opponent to score over 57 points in a game this season.

While Old Dominion doesn't rely heavily on the 3 pointer, they have proven they can knock them down. They are shooting 48.3% from deep, which is 14th best in basketball early in the season. They are led by Jordan Baker (5/7) and Ambrose Mosley (4/7) shooting from deep.

While LSU has started Elbert Robinson in each of the first two games, I could see Coach Jones going with Quarterman at the 3 and bumping down Martin and Mickey. With that lineup, LSU would be much more prone to pushing tempo and would still be matched up well on defense against a smaller team.

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LSU will have to get the ball inside early and often. The Tigers took far too many outside shots against Texas Tech, and a poor shooting night almost cost them a must win game. Similar could happen against Old Dominion if they don't make an effort to get the ball inside.

Another key to this game will be on the offensive boards. LSU is averaging 15 offensive rebounds per game, while Old Dominion is only allowing 7.5 offensive rebounds per game. LSU will put numbers in the box and use their athleticism to try and get extra possessions.

Prediction:

LSU 70, ODU 66