re: Poor defense all season is finally catching up to basketball team...

I've been bad mouthing the defense for a while, but the numbers don't lie. LSU's defense is pretty efficient (35th in the nation according to KenPom). Last night was a poor effort on the defensive end (coupled with AU hitting several contested shots). However, other than maybe Martin, this team hasn't played that bad of defense.

What LSU does do is play at a fast tempo. Fast tempo = more overall shots for both teams which generally = more made baskets per game = more points

AU attempted 8 (61 vs 53) more FG's than they normally take. The also attempted 12 more FTs than usual (27 vs 15). That usually is the case in fast pace games.

On the flip side, LSU's offense is very inefficient. They have a high scoring avg because they attempt the 2nd most shots per game in the SEC. Again more shots = more made shots. However, they give away a ton of possessions with a high turnover rate. I think someone did the math and found that LSU turns the ball over on nearly 25% of their possessions each game. LSU's game is to try to outscore teams, not necessarily keep their opponent from scoring. That is a fine philosophy until you start giving your opponent extra possessions because of TOs