quote:
I'm not on the Hyatt train as much as some y'all. I prefer the little things that Wilkinson does that don't show up on the stat sheet. I would love it though if Hyatt proved me wrong about that.

Hyatt has always been a solid rebounder and defender (at least in terms of getting in good position on defense). It's just that he was billed a 3 point sharpshooter coming into LSU and he has been anything but. Some of the misses were just bad. However, the last two games he's played and shot it with a ton of confidence. He had EIGHT rebounds vs. Tennessee (compare with Watford who only had 4 in more minutes). Wilkinson has done a lot of good things. But he hasn't been a threat at all to score. If Hyatt can give you help with rebounding and defense (something this team DESPERATELY needs) AND provide two 3's per game to really stretch the defense then leave him in. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but LSU has shot over 50% vs two good defensive teams with him in the lineup. We all know this team has to win with offense. If they can shoot 50%+ they will be tough to beat. Moreso if they just play marginal defense that night.

To see the impact of that 5th outside scorer look no further than last Arkansas game. They wanted to play their 7 footer to rebound and block shots inside. They knew he couldn't guard Watford, so they put him on Wilkinson (then Hyatt) figuring they were not going to be involved in the offense. Wilkinson hit a corner 3 when they left him wide open. Later Hyatt did the same and the 7 footer didn't play again. With him out LSU had nearly 50 points in the paint.

If Hyatt wasn't rebounding I'd say go back to Wilkinson. But he's second in total rebounding % among the regular players. More importantly, he's second behind only Days in defensive rebounding %, a area where LSU REALLY struggles. IF he can keep hitting a few open shots he has the potential to be a late season adjustment that really changes the make up of the team.