re: LSU basketball vs Lamar tonight 8:00PM

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Really need to build off of that second half performance vs Texas. I know it’s Lamar but we need to see those style and matchup changes that opened things up last time out.

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That's the issue. It's unlikely they will be able to just that. After 11 games a preseason concern has become reality. The roster is mostly a collection of career role players. A guy like Wright is a perfect example. He's capable of a big game any time out. But in 4.5 years of college basketball he's NEVER proven to be consistent. But LSU is counting on him to be one of their "stars". Other than Cook, McMahon enters every game not really knowing who he can count on that night. Baker might go for 16...or he might get bullied by anyone taller than 6'9 with athleticism. Wright may go off for 26. But he's just as likely to go 4-17 (1-7 from three). Reed could look dominant inside. Or he might turn the ball over every other time he touches it. He just doesn't really know what lineup will work any given night so half the game is spent trying to figure it out. That might be ok to do...if LSU played defense. They don't. Which often means by the time the staff figures out their go-to guys for that game they have already dug themselves a hole too deep to climb out of.

There is always a lot of experimenting and tinkering with line ups in the early season for every team. But there is little clarity as to who the top of the rotation is with this group.

Cook is a star ("star" being a guy you can count on to deliver big just about every game.

Reed and Ward have the potential to be in that category. Unfortunately, they just haven't improved much to date

Stewart looked like a guy who could really contribute before the season started. However, he's continued to slowly make his way down to the end of the bench.

The optimist says that with Cook back the lineup is now whole and McMahon has seen enough games to solidify his rotation. Thus, the team is about to improve significantly.

The pessimist (perhaps realist) says McMahon is never going to be able to figure out his line up from game to game and the freefall in the predictive efficiency ratings is not a momentary "blip" but the tea leaves telling you what is about to come...a LONG 2nd half of the season with little success

Actually i think ive got paint i have to watch dry later, darn wont make it.

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Lamar shoots 39% from 3 as a team. Don't be surprised when this game is close

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Lamar is a dismal defensive team. The lineups with Cook included rated out pretty high offensively vs. Texas (that is skewed by Wright going off for 33 but still should be better overall). I expect LSU to roll tonight with a pretty strong offensive effort.

Pretty much agree, we need cook to be as good as advertised and then need one of wright/baker/reed/ward to show some consistency.


I think wright gains the most by playing with Cook so hopefully he can maintain some consistency.

Geaux Lamar

No one is happy with the state of LSU MBB. Even so, support your team instead of trashing it. I know that's an inconceivable concept for some.

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No one is happy with the state of LSU MBB. Even so, support your team instead of trashing it.

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LSU BB will suck as long as McFailure is the HC. The worse they do, the more likely he gets canned and LSU can start rebuilding.

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No one is happy with the state of LSU MBB. Even so, support your team instead of trashing it. I know that's an inconceivable concept for some.

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I still want CMM to succeed and will wait another year. But if we get to the end of year 3 and we don't see substantial improvement, then Woody needs to think seriously about making a move.

And look, sometimes it's best for the long-term health of a program to get rid of a coach, who clearly isn't the answer, sooner rather than later. I said that in the Trent Johnson, end of Johnny Jones, and end of the Les Miles eras. Those guys weren't going to get us to where we wanted to be, so I was fine with a horrible year, to get them gone sooner so we can more quickly right the ship with a better coach.

Allowing a coach to tread water for years is bad for the program.

Short term pain is sometimes required for long term gain.

If you don’t want to go or watch the game then don’t. To act like you are somehow superior by not watching makes you look stupid and making fun of a father taking his son to a basketball game makes you look really stupid. But then really stupid people don’t know when they look stupid. And therein lies the problem.