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Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
When fans entered the PMAC on Tuesday night, they were asked not to use the ramps due to ice. When they turned on their TV's they were told not even to get on the roads due to ice, but when SEC and LSU officials decided it was game on, fans didn't listen. The estimated 3,500 students and few thousand others witnessed a game that may go down as the turnaround game of a program.

The subfreezing temperatures outside didn't stop LSU from coming out hot. Led by Johnny O'Bryant, LSU ran out to a 22-6 lead forcing turnovers and hitting shots. It was beautiful. It was physical. LSU endured an almost patented 5 minute struggle, but still went into halftime leading 42-36. While the lead had been cut, everyone still felt in control. The Tigers had played 20 successful minutes against Kentucky and the Legend of the Icedome began its birth.

The second half started similar to the first half with LSU extending the lead to 15, capturing the momentum. LSU went from a zone defense to a full court press that forced some turnovers from the Wildcats who ended the game with 13. It was a surprising move for Coach Jones to play almost the entire game in a 2-3 zone, but with Kentucky's season long success inside it seemed to be the ticket to victory.

Johnny O'Bryant scored a season high 29 points, grabbed 9 boards, blocked 2 shots and had a steal. Anthony Hickey played probably his best game of the season scoring 11 points and have a 6:0 ast:to ratio. Throw in 3 steals, 2 rebounds, and some spectacular decision making and you have a career type game. Coleman had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block. Mickey had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks... If you don't get it yet, everyone had a great game.

Interesting Stats

#1 and #2 SEC block leaders went at it. Mickey ended the game with 5 blocks while Willie Cauley-Stein had 0.

LSU blocked 20.9% (11 of 53) of Kentucky two point attempts. Kentucky averages getting blocked only 7.3% of the time.

LSU's AST:TO ratio was 15:11 while Kentucky's was 8:13

LSU had 11 steals in the game. Kentucky had 6.

Anthony Hickey has made his last 8 free throws moving his season average from 50.0% to 64.3%

LSU assisted on 46.9% of their makes while Kentucky only assisted on 25% of their makes.

Johnny O'Bryant leads the SEC in points on post-ups averaging 7.2 points per game. He led the SEC last year at 4.8 points per game in post-up.

Kentucky made 9 of 20 three point shots, including 4 in the last 70 seconds.

LSU once again allowed an unexpected player to get a career high. This time it was 7' Dakari Johnson who scored 15. Previous high was 10.

LSU held UK to a 35.7% Offensive Rebound %. They average a NCAA leading 43.5% OR%

LSU should be favored in 5 of their next 6 games and could bust onto the scene as a possible NCAA tournament team in that time.
Filed Under: LSU Basketball
54 Comments
user avatar
YouAre8Up130 months
:rolleyes:
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lsu2006130 months
quote:

YouAre8Up

Astute analysis :cheers:
user avatar
Tom Bronco130 months
quote:

LSU should be favored in 5 of their next 6 games and could bust onto the scene as a possible NCAA tournament team in that time.
I would be a little more cautious here South. This team has a hallmark and it is that they are up and down. We were sky high for Kentucky but that is no guarantee we will play that way going forward.

Georgia, Arkansas, A&M,Florida and Kentucky are all road games we have yet to play. Those will all be hard to win. Bound to lose a couple at the very best. Three losses wouldn't surprise me. That would put us at 12-6 in the SEC assuming we win all five of the remaining home games. NCAA tourney? Perhaps but most likely NIT. Color me different but I would rather us go to the NIT and win four or five games than be a one and out in the NCAA.

This program is still building and CJJ has us on the right track. 12-6 or even 11-7 will still be a huge improvement.
user avatar
Dirty Pierre130 months
LSU's 11 blocks were the most by a Kentucky opponent in Calipari's five seasons as coach.
:cheers:

LINK
user avatar
AtlantaLSUfan130 months
Just here to say :nana: :cheers: :geauxtigers:
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YellowShoe130 months
quote:

Kentucky made 9 of 20 three point shots, including 4 in the last 70 seconds

The threes that KY could not miss in the last minute were not really nerve-wracking. Usually, this is where fans would be nervous. Players were very composed yesterday.
user avatar
S130 months
thankfully randle had an off night. young was keeping them in it. great game plan by coach jones and the staff coming out in zone at the beginning of the game and pressing to start the 2nd half. they subbed guys in and out to make things work the way they needed it to.
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ProjectP2294130 months
Polson played a lot for UK last night. That's an indicator of how pissed Cal was. Polson's minutes are directly proportional to Cal's ire.
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Britgirl130 months
quote:

great game plan by coach jones and the staff coming out in zone at the beginning of the game and pressing to start the 2nd half. they subbed guys in and out to make things work the way they needed it to.

I'm glad CJJ allowed Anthony to use the "push up court fast paced" quick rotation version of the half court offense. I'm not sure that was the game plan, or if it was Hickey running the offense how he wanted. Often times CJJ has Anthony slow it down too much IMO. Works much better this way. Maybe Cal was expecting that stagnant offense???
user avatar
MSTiger33130 months
The guys looked like they were finally have fun playing last night. Big props to Coleman. The guy had an amazing game.
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SouthOfSouth130 months
Coleman has been an unsung hero all season long. He has flat out played. I don't see him in the NBA, but man has he been good on this level. Really love what he adds to the team.

We move him to the two spot for this game and he dishes out 5 assists.... It just shows how versatile he is.
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lsu2006130 months
quote:

We move him to the two spot for this game and he dishes out 5 assists.... It just shows how versatile he is.

Yeah he does it all. Not particularly great at any one thing, but plays his arse off. I'll take a couple of those on my team any day.
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fightingtiger2335130 months
Coleman is my favorite on the team. It started last year when he played undersized and just worked his arse off against such bigger players.
He does so many things that dont show up on stat sheets as well.
I get shocked on how kuch flack he gets on here and when at game or reading on here people make negative statements aboit his playi know I can ignore that persons statements from now on when it comes to basketball knowledge
user avatar
Dirty Pierre130 months
Nice recap!
It was a great team effort.
Great to see Coleman driving the middle and going strong to the basket, a couple of times.
Guessing Hawgs are really going to pack their D tight around JOB, so JJ may need to make a few adjustments to counter the Hawgs defensive strategy.
If everyone plays with this intensity, good things will happen.
:geauxtigers:
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fightingtiger2335130 months
One of favorite moments last night was after coach thanked the crowd andre stringer was standing at front of bench. When coach walked by stringer gave coach a monster hug when jj returned. When they let go stringer had the biggest smile possible and jj kept his arm around him.

Stringer has had so limited big moments while here and seems to be such a hard working kid. It was great seeing him be able to enjoy a moment like that
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SouthOfSouth130 months
Gotta love moments where players get to reap the benefits of their hard work they put in. As fans, we are very lucky to experience the finished product, but those kids work their asses off daily for that moment.

Happy for him and the team as a whole.
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BCMCubs130 months
They had a great shot of Coleman after his drive and finish with the left. Grinning from ear to ear. All the guys looked like they were having fun and enjoying the energy from the crowd. Also gotta be fun when the team is executing as well as they did.
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Hat Tricks130 months
quote:

One of favorite moments last night was after coach thanked the crowd andre stringer was standing at front of bench. When coach walked by stringer gave coach a monster hug when jj returned. When they let go stringer had the biggest smile possible and jj kept his arm around him.


That was really cool to see.
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lsu2006130 months
quote:

Image Link

HICK :bow:

Great picture
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SouthOfSouth130 months
quote:

Great picture


I know. I wish I had taken it. :banghead:

That's okay. I'll be back for the Arkansas game on Saturday! Cant wait!
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Hat Tricks130 months
Happy as hell I fought the roads to go. Took me an hour and a half to get back home to Gonzales but it was worth every minute. :nana:
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fightingtiger2335130 months
Ha ya it took us about same time to get home. Wesaw a few people ditch it in front of us but the best was some jackass flying on perkins between bluebonnet and seigen. He hit a patch and looked like a nascar spin out and absolutely smoked the brick wall of that gated retirement community. Sparks flew everywhere and looked kike fireworks show. Before can even get stopped he does a spin u turn and hauls arse again. Guessing drunk cause didnt even get out to check damage
user avatar
Hat Tricks130 months
quote:

Ha ya it took us about same time to get home. Wesaw a few people ditch it in front of us but the best was some jackass flying on perkins between bluebonnet and seigen. He hit a patch and looked like a nascar spin out and absolutely smoked the brick wall of that gated retirement community. Sparks flew everywhere and looked kike fireworks show. Before can even get stopped he does a spin u turn and hauls arse again. Guessing drunk cause didnt even get out to check damage


I was going no faster than 20mph the entire time and hit a spot on perkins where I almost lost it but was able to regain control. It was pretty crazy. Some people weren't even able to get out of the parking lot at the PMAC I guess because their tires were too slick.
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YellowShoe130 months
quote:

Happy as hell I fought the roads to go. Took me an hour and a half to get back home to Gonzales but it was worth every minute.

Which road did you take from campus to Gonzales?
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fightingtiger2335130 months
6000 were there but 20000 will tell story years later how theytoughed out storm and madeit out.

Was an incredible atmosphere last night with peop
e outside ofthe ss standing. Everyone around uswas hardcore fans and it was actually a blast talking and high fiving during game with people that knew the team like we did and not my first game of year crowd. No one was there to sit on their hands. Most time during big game people that know when to cheer are spread out and excitement is hardto spread over people asking you to sit down. Tonite it was like a wild fire with no lame asses buffering excitement
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YellowShoe130 months
quote:

6000 were there but 20000 will tell story years later how they toughed out storm and made it out.

You should ask them where they lived? There are some minor 'bridges' on the way to the campus on Burbank and Nicholson that I could take and avoid I-10. Police had these streets closed.

Unless you had a special pass, you had to turn back.
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fightingtiger2335130 months
Ya took me a long time coming from woodlawn but I was making it no matter what
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josh336130 months
Took me 1.5 hrs to get home. Went down nicholson to bluebonnet. Lost control on the turn onto bluebonnet, luckily no one was around. Was going about 10mph the whole way
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T-mart57130 months
Wish our lead would've held up. UK fans pissed that they didn't foul at the end of the game with 20 seconds left but that was awesome game.
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Walter White130 months
Hell of a game last night and a surprisingly good atmosphere in the Deaf Dome. Glad we came out with the W, and hopefully this is the start of the Tigers' season turnaround. :GeauxTigers:
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c on z130 months
:lsu:
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kpg4842130 months
:geauxtigers: :bow:
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Choupique19130 months
What a great game for this team. It's a shame more people couldn't be there to get caught up in the excitement.
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themunch130 months
<---- one happy rantard.


:geauxtigers:
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Swampking130 months
Why is it we can beat Kentucky and not Alabama??? :rolleyes:
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SouthOfSouth130 months
quote:

Why is it we can beat Kentucky and not Alabama???


Both Bama and Ole Miss were one shot. It would have only taken 1 shot to win. If we hit even close to the %'s that we shot last night, we blow both out of the water.
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TXGunslinger10130 months
I'd like to coin the phrase "hotter than Johnny O'Bryant in an ice storm." :lol:
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BigEdLSU130 months
Nice
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willthezombie130 months
quote:

I'd like to coin the phrase "hotter than Johnny O'Bryant in an ice storm."


I am telling that to the next OT 8 I see.

Hey baby, you are hotter than Johnny O'Bryant in an ice storm.
user avatar
BigEdLSU130 months
Never trailed! Amazing.
user avatar
JinFL130 months
:geauxtigers:
user avatar
BCMCubs130 months
Fantastic performance all around
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