Anyone got a preview for LSU basketball

53 days.


Starting 5 Likely:
Gray
Hornsby
Martin
Mickey
Robinson

I'll be coming out with a series of pre-season articles to get you ready for the hoops team soon enough. Probably start at the very beginning of November. Overall, I think you can expect a better team than last year, but still gonna have some depth issues.

We really only have 3 (Gray, Hornsby, Quarterman) guys who can play the 1/2 positions so any foul trouble could really hurt the Tigers.

Down low we will have some guys, but no clue if they will be ready to play after our starters. It's likely we have another year of a 7/8 player rotation.



Estimated 3 deep depth chart

1. Gray - Quarterman - Patterson
2. Hornsby - Gray - Quarterman
3. Martin - Hornsby - Bridgewater
4. Mickey - Epps - Martin
5. Robinson - Malone - Odo

Gray was the #1 JUCO recruit and led all JUCO in scoring. He will take a much different role for this LSU team and will be called upon to pass a lot more often.

Hornsby is really primed for a great year. He is a sharp shooting guard who should hit 40%+ from deep and 90%+ from the FT line. Has a great relationship with Gray and they are both gym rats.

Martin and Mickey are both likely playing for 1st round guaranteed NBA contracts so they will have incentive to perform at a high level.

Robinson may be pushed into the starting role a little early, but was a big time recruit. He's lost a lot of weight which was necessary cause he was a little slow in his high school tape, but Im hopeful he can answer our need down low if Malone isn't able to take it over. Hoping Malone can make a big jump forward with his defense.


Overall:

I'm not exactly sure how this year is going to turn out. With the schedule we have this year, we cannot afford to lose games to sub 150 RPI teams, but I'm worried LSU could do that if they get into a little foul trouble. I think this team will be good enough to win any game on the schedule, but they will also have the potential to lose a game or two they shouldn't.

I'll do a lot more research before the season and pass along everything I possibly can about this year.

over 10,000 for the opener against texas tech if they market it right. if the game is entertaining, high scoring with plenty of dunks and lsu wins, there will be good crowds for the rest of non-conference play and even better crowds in sec play. lsu feeds off of great pmac crowds, so I think they'll be at least top 3 in the conference and go to the ncaa tournament.

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Starting 5 Likely:
Gray
Hornsby
Martin
Mickey
Robinson

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I hope you are right

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I hope you are right

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I'm intrigued to see how much improvement Quarterman has made. He is really gonna need to perform both on ball and as an off guard this season.

Martin and Mickey better be prepared to play 30-35 min/gm cause their backups will likely be a serious dropoff.

I'd LOVE to see Malone take the 5 spot and that is one change that I could see, however, I'm not sure if he will get his defense to the level necessary to start for us at 5.

At the 5 we are looking for a serviceable defender. If we can get 5 pts/gm out of that position that is fine as long as they can defend and rebound at a high level. Robinson comes in as a guy who prides himself in his defense so he may fit the mold for what this team requires out of that position.

edited.

Definitely meant Martin.

I have a spoiler.
























'Ship

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1. Gray - Quarterman - Patterson
2. Hornsby - Gray - Quarterman
3. Martin - Hornsby - Bridgewater
4. Mickey - Epps - Martin
5. Robinson - Malone - Odo

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Hornsby can't play the three...he's too short.

SEC Champs, Final Four lock

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Hornsby can't play the three...he's too short.

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We played 6'5" Coleman at 4 just two years ago...

We can play 6'4" Hornsby at 3... This isn't the NBA, a lot of teams use a 3 guard set.

It won't be common to see Hornsby at three but that's only because we don't have any backup guards.

Still, I'm not 100% convinced that Bridgewater (who is only an inch or so taller) is ready for competition yet. He did take an entire year off from organized basketball.

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I think we're automatically better in the backcourt this year. The development of Odo/Malone along what kind of contributions the newcomers make will determine if it's a mediocre season or a good one. If Robinson and Epps give us quality minutes, we'll improve on last year.

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I agree that the 1-4 starting spots should be an improvement. We dont add very much depth at those positions though. I think the 5 spot has to play strong. It will be manned by Robinson/Malone/Odo and we just have to hope that the depth develops better than it looks.

At this point I only see 7 or so players who I'd feel comfortable playing during SEC play. We really need more like 9... Will be huge if we can get good minutes from Patterson at guard and Epps, Bridgewater or Malone at forward.

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Looking forward to SOS' reports

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Im looking forward to hoops season! Unfortunately, I will be working out of town for most of the season. I go back to BR on the weekends, but it limits my time I get to see them in person. Still, I will be keeping up with the Tigers as much or more than I have the past 4 or 5 years so I'll be sure to keep everyone as updated as possible.