Basketball: LSU (16-10,6-6) vs Georgia (12-14,3-9) | Wed 7PM | PMAC |TV:SECN

Basketball: LSU (16-10,6-6) vs Georgia (12-14,3-9) | Wednesday 7PM | PMAC |TV:SECN

*Alexandria-KWCE; Baton Rouge-WBXH; Lafayette-KLAF; New Orleans-WUPL; Shreveport-KSHV. *

** $1 tickets if you attend the 3PM Baseball game Wednesday**


SoS’s Power Rankings 2/19/12
1. Kentucky
2. Florida
3. Vanderbilt
4. LSU
5. Miss St
6. Tennessee
7. Alabama
8. Ole Miss
9. Arkansas
10. Auburn
11. Georgia
12. South Carolina

General Overview

LSU takes a 3 game winning streak back home to face Georgia. LSU defeated South Carolina on the road on Saturday and continued their solid play lately even with some less than stellar officiating. The Tigers have continued to shoot better from the field lately and were able to force turnovers all night. Looking forward to the game against Georgia, LSU should be able to take this game and run away. UGA was able to beat Miss St on the road on Feb 11th but haven’t done well on the road besides that one, and we all know State gets a little lazy and drops games they shouldn’t.

LSU was also able to finally hit some three point shots this past game going 5-10 from three point land and Turner boosted his three point percentage above 37%. Stringer continued to do a good job driving to the basket and had 3 assists with only 1 turnover. Hamilton hit 8-8 free throws and Storm Warren was 2 rebounds away from a double double. Overall, the team is playing top ball at the right time and starting to get noticed. ESPN’s Andy Kats recently put LSU in the 4 spot in his SEC power rankings.

Schedule and SEC stakes

LSU is in the middle of a run of winnable games to end the season. This game is obviously a must win because it would be a very bad loss for LSU. A big win could do wonders for those still not sure on the Tigers. LSU must continue to shoot well and get turnovers and rebounds. It has been a key to success for the Tigers during their run. UGA has little to play for this late in the season, but LSU has eyes to impress so it is important for LSU to play 40 minutes hard.

LSU currently sits tied for 4th in the Sec and only 2 games behind Vanderbilt for 3rd. While LSU’s schedule is one of the easiest left in the conference, Vanderbilt still has Florida, Kentucky and an away game from Tennessee. It is quite possible, though not probable for LSU to end between 3rd and 7th. Ending in the top 4 would definitely get LSU noticed for their body of work done in the SEC and should help LSU get to their goal of an NCAA birth.

PG Matchup

#1 Anthony Hickey 5’10” 172 Freshman
Vs.

#2 Gerald Robinson 6’1” 180 Senior

*This matchup should be a fun one. Robinson is second on the Bulldogs squad in scoring and like to get into the paint. Hickey must play very hard to keep Robinson from scoring and controlling the game. The game can be won at this position or lost if either of these players go off.

2 Guard Matchup

#10 Andre Stringer 5’9” 170 Sophomore
Vs.

#3 Dustin Ware 5’11” 172 Senior

*These are two of the top free throw shooters in the SEC. Each should try to get to the line more seeing they have been so efficient from the stripe. Look for both to try. Stringer will appreciate only being 2 inches smaller than his opponent in this one.

3 Guard Matchup

#22 Ralston Turner 6’6” 193 Sophomore
Vs.

#1 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 6’5” 200 Freshman

*Both of these players can score. Caldwell-Pope leads UGA in scoring with 14.2 PPG. He also likes to get inside and rebound being 2nd on the team with 5.3 RPG. Turner has played much stronger lately with his deep shooting.

Forward Matchup

#2 Johnny O’Bryant 6’9” 262 Freshman
Vs.

#2 Marcus Thorton 6’7” 235 Sophomore

*Whether O’Bryant or Warren starts, both have done great rebounding and hitting mid-range shots. Thorton lacks much offensive gameso look for O’Bryant to work hard on the offensive side.

Center Matchup

#41 Justin Hamilton 7’0” 260 Junior
Vs.

#15 Donte Williams 6’9” 220 Sophomore

*Hamilton will be LSU’s best bet to score. Donte will be undersized against the big Hamilton. Williams averages 7.6 PPG. At 45% FG and 54% FT, Williams shouldn’t be much of a threat on offense.




Stats:



Prediction:

LSU 70 Georgia 54


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