No they don't. They just have to put MUCH more emphasis on the defensive end, even if that means a slight drop off on the offensive end. BALANCE is the key to being a truly great team.

Maybe it's because the "big man" was the centerpiece of basketball for so long, but today's game (in college) has changed that. If you can have a 6'10+ guy who can play in space and protect the rim, then great. But it is not an ABSOLUTE necessity. Plus, prior to this season LSU had good size inside and STILL wasn't a great defensive team. In year one they were bad defensively despite having Reath/Epps (both 6'10). They were better in year 2, though not great by any means (8th in the SEC alone in defensive efficiency) with KBW/Reid.

On offense LSU was HIGHLY efficient inside this season and still a very good rebounding team, despite the lack of traditional "size".

If you look at the stats from last year and this past season it shows that opponents essentially shot and scored at the same rate. The overall fg% was the same. Despite the terrible 3 point defense, opponents only averaged ~1 more made 3 pointer per game than last season. The BIGGEST difference had nothing to do with the lack of a "big man." In fact, it was the loss of the smallest guy (Waters) that made that difference. LSU was among the nation's leaders in steals in 18-19. This season they were almost in the bottom 1/3rd of the country in that category.

If next season's roster looks like we think it will look, then LSU will truly be a potential Final Four contender. However, that will only be the case if they commit from the top (Wade) down to being a MUCH better defensive team. One, that isn't so reliant on forcing turnovers, but instead forces tougher shots. Simply just having a "big man" isn't enough. It can help to some degree, but a cultural shift needs to occur. LSU doesn't have to be Virginia on defense. They are MORE than good enough offensively to make up for it. But there is ZERO reason a team who is that good offensively should be playing in so many tight games against bad/mediocre opponents.