you can see this thread coming.

And yeah, Smart is probably at his best as the primary point guard, especially when the opponent hasn't prepared for him specifically.

And, yes again, the rest of the team probably does look to Waters when it's crunch time.

But- no, this team isn't better without him. If anything, Saturday's game will make the whole team a LOT better- with him.

March Madness is coming. How many games have we seen where the pressure is boiling over, stakes are high, and teams advance or fall with their backcourts? Take the superstar out of his game, the rest of the team collapses. Frontcourt scorers stand helplessly by as they wait for the ball, watching turnovers happen instead.

LSU is now on the cusp of that environment (we got a taste yesterday), and things couldn't be better.

Tremont Waters has never seemed selfish to me. He hasn't pouted when his shots don't fall, or if someone else has a big game. He does jack up a lot of shots... because LSU has been behind a lot, and SOMEONE has to. And he's made them.
And now, his team, his friends, his brothers- they just played one of the 2 best teams on the schedule without him, and they stepped up and won.

Let's compare games (apples to oranges, I know): with Waters, on the road at Kentucky, he led the team to a close win.
Without Waters, at home vs Tennessee, Smart and Mays led the team to a close win.
And finally, Tennessee at Kentucky- Kentucky dismantled the Vols. Who knows Tennessee may get revenge soon, or they may not.
But the point is, LSU has won huge games, with and without Waters. It's not a trade, it's addition/subtraction. You don't lose Smart and Mays if you add Waters, you just add a super-quick guy with quick hands who's fearless.

Come tournament time, teams are going to try to double Waters, and Saturday gives us the blueprint on defeating that. The next test is Tuesday- because the tournament has games like yesterday, and you then have 1 day off and have to get back out there again, against another good team.