With 2:33 remaining in the second half, LSU led 67-62. They had played a very good second half and were looking to finish off the Rebels. Unfortunately, that did not happen. After tying the game up at 69, LSU had an opportunity to take the final shot of the game. Anthony Hickey who has hit many a buzzer beater shook him man and had a relatively open jumper miss to send it to overtime.

Without getting too caught up into the overtime period, LSU play poorly, and Ole Miss did not.

Pros:

Andre Stringer Not only did Andre Stringer play good defense on Henderson, he was able to keep LSU in this game with his shooting. He made 5 of 8 from three point land and finished with 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Shane Hammink While I'm not exactly sure why Shane Hammink played 14 minutes, he played much better than I anticipated in his time. He tallied 2 points, 2 rebounds, and only 1 turnover.

Shooting Forwards Coleman and Martin combined for 29 points and 14 rebounds. The duo didn't have luck from outside hitting only 2 of 10 combined three pointers, but their ability to get to the rim broke down Ole Miss' zone.

Hickey's Assist:Turnover ratio The SEC leader in assists per turnover continued to excel in both of those categories. He dished out 7 assists while only turning it over once. He now has a 3.5 Assist:Turnover ratio. It is currently 11th in the NCAA (up from 19th).

Mickey's Career high blocks Mickey was a force in the lane for anyone daring enough to venture in there. He recorded 7 blocks, a new career high. He has recorded 5 blocks four times and 6 blocks once.

Cons

Post Players We talked about LSU trying to dominate inside with their post players; Well that didn't happen. Mickey scored 2 (Season low) and O'Bryant scored 6. On the other hand, Saiz and Jones, Ole Miss' big men, scored 20 and 13. The Tigers lost the rebound battle by 8.

End of game execution LSU has shown an inability to close out games. Our execution was poor and the overtime period left me embarrassed.

Anthony Hickey's Shooting Hickey did a great job with his Assist:Turnover, but he made only 3 of 9 from two point range and 1 of 7 from three. That's 4 of 16 from the field to go along with 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Stringer may have gotten out of his slump, but Hickey is still in his. Big time.

Defense on Saiz The Freshman had a career high 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He had only scored in double figures once (11 vs Western Kentucky). Never in my life would I have figured LSU would get outscored from the 5 spot by 14 to a guy who had never scored 14.

Getting ball inside against Zone LSU hasn't found a way to break down a zone defense. LSU hit some shots in regulation that kept LSU ahead most of the time, but we were unable to get the ball inside and it lost us the game in overtime. Coach Jones needs to figure out how to break down a zone defense with our current roster or LSU may see a lot of zone this year.

This was one of the tougher losses to take as a fan. However, LSU gets to come back home to face Vanderbilt Saturday night. Geaux Tigers.

Filed Under: LSU Basketball