1/30/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   
   BATON ROUGE, La.:: It's SEC/Big 12 Challenge day as our LSU Fighting Tigers will host #10 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday afternoon in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. 
   LSU (11-4) is coming off of a 78-66 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday night, while the Red Raiders will try to stop a two game skid. 
   The Tigers would give Texas Tech all they could handle  all game long but couldn't hold onto a one point lead with only 30 seconds left on the clock. 

   Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' Game Break Down....



          1st HALF:

   Both teams would go scoreless for nearly the first two minutes of the contest until Cam Thomas would end up on the free throw line scoring on one of two shots. 1-0 LSU with 18:22 to go.
   Tech would then run 6 straight to grab a 6-1 advantage with 15:55 on the clock. 
   Trendon Watford would then hit a jumper in the lane, followed by a Cam Thomas three pointer to ignite
the crowd and tie the score at 6-6 at the 14:34 mark.
   LSU would then shift it into another gear going on a 8-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 14-8 lead with 11:17 on the clock for an officials timeout. 
   Kevin McCullar would hit a jumper at the 9:41 mark giving the Red Raiders their first points in over four minutes to pull to within 15-10.
   Over the next four minutes the teams would play even, scoring 8 points each putting the score at 23-18, LSU.  The Tigers would then increase their lead to 33-26 with 2:24 to go on a jumper by Watford. 
   LSU would all of a sudden go ice cold over the final two minutes of the half as they would allow Texas Tech to go on a 6-0 run to end the first 20 minutes of play with the score, LSU 33, Texas Tech 32.. 
   Cam Thomas would lead the Tigers at the half with 14 points, while Javonte Smart would add 12.  LSU would shoot 12-28 from the floor for 43% while shooting 4-11 from the three point arc. The Tigers first half struggles would come from the free throw line, only making 5-9 for 56% and allowing Texas Tech to win the rebound battle, 16-11. 




          2nd HALF:

   LSU would score first and quickly to start the second half as Javonte Smart would hit a jumper only 19 seconds in. 35-32 Tigers.
   The Tigers would need to call a timeout with 14:38 to go as Texas Tech would go on a 13-9 run to grab not only the lead but the game momentum. 45-42 Red Raiders. LSU is simply giving Tech too many second chance points, as they continue to struggle in the rebound battle. 
   The Tigers would answer the Red Raiders run with a 6-2 run themselves to regain the lead 48-47 with 11:52 left on the clock. 
   LSU would suffer a huge blow when Darius Days would leave the game with 10:57 to go with an ankle injury...
   In what was turning out to be a very good basketball game between two very good teams, we would find the contest all even up at 58-58 at the 7:32 mark. 
   With the score tied at 60-60, Javonte Smart would hit back to back three pointers giving LSU the lead 66-60 with 4:24 left to go, forcing Tech to take a timeout to try and stop the bleeding while the chant of LSU! LSU! LSU! would begin to roar from the crowd. 
   The Red Raiders would score four straight to pull to within two, 66-64, but Cam Thomas would answer as he would hit a very deep three pointer to extend the lead to 69-64, followed by a put back basket by Shareef O'neal at the 1:06 mark to put the Tigers up 71-64. 
   Texas Tech would not fold as they would answer with back to back three pointers by Mac McClung to pull within 71-70 with 31.4 seconds left in the contest. 
   Tech's Terrence Shannon would score on a layup with :23 ticks left to put the Red Raiders up by one 72-71. 
   Cam Thomas would a jumper with :17 seconds left. Trendon Watford would grab the rebound, but would be called for a foul putting Tech back on the free throw line. 
   Terrence Shannon would make both charity shots to put his Red Raiders up by three, 74-71. 
   LSU would race the ball down the court and set up Cam Thomas for a three point attempt with
:03 seconds left, but Thomas would fire up an air ball from three point range. 
   Texas Tech would receive two more gift garbage points from the officials to make the final score 76-71. 


   With this heartbreaking loss, the Tigers fall to 11-5 on the season. Got to call it like it is, LSU lost this game because of a poor game at the free throw line, (12-18 for 67%), and because they were out-rebounded 41-29. 
   Javonte Smart lead the team in scoring with 29 points. Cam Thomas finished with 25 points. Darius Days would contribute 11 points in the losing effort. 
   “Obviously a very disappointing loss. I thought that we played extremely hard. We just didn’t have some poise and some discipline that we needed in some key stretches, especially in the last minute or so." said Will Wade.  "This is as disappointed as I’ve been all year. I thought we played well enough to win against a very good ball club. We couldn’t close it out. Very, very disappointing.”
   Up next for the Tigers is a trip to Tuscaloosa to rematch the red hot Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd at 6pm. The game will be televised on ESPN2.  

​ 

Photos Below By: Terrill Weil

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

1/26/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   COLLEGE STATION, Tx.:: LSU (10-4 overall, 5-3 in the SEC), would come into Tuesday night's game looking to snap a two game losing streak as they would travel to Aggie-Land to take on Texas A&M (7-6 overall, 2-5 in SEC play), who are on a two game skid themselves.
    The Tigers have played poorly during their last two contest, playing out-of-sink on offense, lacking intensity of defense, while struggling at the charity stripe and on the boards. Will Wade will be looking for his team to bounce back with a win while showing much needed improvement in their play. 
    LSU would do both as they would show improvement throughout most of the ballgame, playing
​with spirit and hustle, coming away with a 78-66 victory.

​   Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' Game Break Down....




          1st HALF:

   Cameron Thomas would hit a three pointer to give LSU an early 3-0 lead after A&M would control the opening tip but miss-fire.  
   LSU would begin the contest looking like their early season selves, as they would play with confidence and hustle. Over the first five minutes the Tigers would take and make good shots and play defense with lots of energy, as they would hold a 15-7 lead at the 15:46 mark. 
   With 10:42 left on the clock Javonte Smart would hit a three pointer from the top of the key to give LSU a ten point lead, 23-13.
   Just like in their first meeting in Baton Rouge, you could see that LSU is simply a better team as
they would continue to out-play the Aggies throughout the first half.  At the 6:47 mark, Cam Thomas would hit a jumper to put the Tigers up 32-18. 
   At the 5:09 mark, A&M would score six straight as Jay Jay Chandler would hit back to back three pointers to cut the lead down to 37-29.
   A LSU turnover with 2:46 left would lead to a Savion Flagg layup, followed by a another Jay Jay Chandler three pointer as Texas A&M would find themselves only down by three, 39-36 as LSU would begin to have some trouble putting the ball in the hole over the last two minutes. 
   Trendon Watford would make a couple of free throws with :23 seconds left to extend the LSU lead to 41-36 at halftime.
   After playing solid for most of the first half, the Tigers would allow A&M to cut a 17 point lead down to 5 at the half as LSU would go the final five minutes of the half without scoring a basket. The Tigers would shoot 48% from the floor in the first 20 minutes, while going 5-15 (33%) from three point range, and 6-7 (86%) from the free throw line. LSU also rebounded the ball better so far, but five turnovers, most them happening late hurt them. Got to give a scrappy Texas A&M team for fighting back to get back into the game.
   Cam Thomas would lead LSU at the half with 16 points, Javonte Smart would score 8 points, While Watford and Days would each contribute 6 each. Savion Flagg would lead the Aggies with 14 points, while Jay Jay Chandler would get hot from behind the arc hitting 3 three pointers as he would have 13points at the break. 




          2nd HALF:

   Cam Thomas would draw a foul while attempting and missing from behind the three point line and would make all three free throws to start the second half.
   Texas A&M would ride their late first half momentum into the second period, as they would finally settle down and start to play the Tigers tough. The Aggies would match LSU in scoring, keeping within five points over the first six minutes of the second half, and would actually cut the lead to 55-52 with a Jaxson Robinson layup at the 14:40 mark. 
   Once again, it would be the three point shot that would begin to haunt LSU defensively as the
Aggies would hit their 6th three pointer of the second half with 12:04 to play to take the lead 61-57. It was Texas A&M's first lead of the ballgame, as they turned up the heat going on a 14-2 run over the last three minutes. 
​   After both teams would go scoreless over the next three minutes, A&M would extend their lead to six, 63-57 on a layup by Hassan Diarra. 
  Smart would answer with a three pointer to pull LSU back to within 63-60 with 9:16 left in the game. A&M had now turned what looked like may be a repeat of the first matchup between these two, into a tough SEC contest. LSU would need to find the intensity that they had in the first half if they want to avoid dropping three games in a row. 
   LSU would go on a 7-3 run over the next four minutes to grab the lead back on two Trendon Watford's free throws, 67-66 with 4:58 left.
   The Tigers would continue to build on their lead extending their run to 13-3, to take a 73-66 advantage as the Aggies would go ice cold.
   LSU would finish the game with a 18-3 run, holding Texas A&M scoreless over the final eight minutes of the game for a 78-66 victory. 


   The Tigers improve to 11-4 overall, 6-3 in the SEC with the win. Cameron Thomas would lead the team scoring 28 points. Javonte Smart had a huge second half finishing with 19 points. Trendon Watford would finish with 13 points, while Darius Days would add 11 on the night. 
   The dismal shooting drought also ended tonight as LSU would finish shooting 47% from the floor.
It wasn't pretty at times, but a huge improvement over the last two performances. They would shoot 10-29 from three point land for 34%, and go 18-20 for 90% from the free throw line. LSU would win the rebound battle, 39-37, but still need to work on cutting down on turnovers as they would commit ten in the game that helped keep the Aggies in the ballgame. 
   This team needs to continue to work hard on improving their focus and poise during play as the toughest part of their SEC schedule lies ahead. After a 'SEC/Big 12 Challenge' contest against Texas Tech on Saturday, LSU will face Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee, then Auburn in that order. 
   Do the Tigers have it in them?????
​  

1/23/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   LEXINGTON, Ky.:: The Tigers limped into Rupp Arena looking to rebound from their shocking loss to Alabama on Tuesday night. Instead they found more of the same, as the nightmare performance seemed to follow LSU from Baton Rouge to Lexington. 
   The Tigers were never really in the contest as Kentucky took advantage of a LSU team that all of a sudden is sputtering on offense, playing defense with little intensity, and at times looks to be out-coached.  

   Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' game break down...




          1st HALF:

   Oliver Sarr would put the Wilcats on the board first on a second chance layup 30 seconds into the contest. LSU would score four straight on a layup by Trendon Watford then a jumper by Cam Thomas grabbing a 4-2 lead. 
   From there Kentucky would begin to heat up and go on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes taking a 12-4 lead at the 16:15 mark. 
  The Tigers were beginning to have Alabama game flashbacks as Dontaie Allen would hit Kentucky's 5th three pointer of the game to extend their lead to 26-11 with 11:14 left on the clock.  
  For a team coming off of an embarrassing 30 point loss at home, the Tigers seemed to lack focus and intensity. The Wildcats simply out-hustled LSU for most of the first half, owning the boards and scoring easily in the paint and from the outside.
  With 4:51 left in the half, Cameron Thomas would hit a three pointer to pull LSU to within ten, 37-27, However Kentucky would not allow the lead to fall under double digits as they would go on a 7-1 run over the next two minutes running the score to 44-28. 
   LSU would then cut the lead to 12 after Javonte Smart and Trendon Watford would each hit a shot from behind the three arc, but the Wildcats were just too much for the Tigers in the first 20 minutes as they would lead 49-36 at the half.
   After a slow start, Cam Thomas would end up leading the Tigers in scoring at the half with 11 points, while the rest of the lineup would struggle to contribute. LSU's struggles shooting from the floor would continue as they would go into the break shooting a disappointing 38%, and would only convert 3-10 from behind the three point arc, while finishing with a dismal 7-11 from the free throw line. 




          2nd HALF:

   The Tigers would begin the second half with much more hustle and energetic play as they would out score Kentucky 8-2 in the opening three minutes, cutting into the lead, 51-44. 
   After seeing their lead dwindle to only five points with 15:28 left in the game, Kentucky's Brandon Boston would drain a three pointer pushing the score to 59-51.
   The game would go scoreless over the next five minutes as both teams would turn up their defensive
intensity. Kentucky would finally break the scoring drought with a Brandon Boston's layup. 61-51, Wildcats with 11:22 to go. 
   LSU would battle back with 6:37 left, as they would cut the lead to seven, 70-63, but could get no closer as Kentucky would seem to find another gear and increase the lead back to double-digits.
   The Wildcats would finish dominating LSU with a 82-69 win.  
   
   
   Trendon Watford would lead the Tigers with 26 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Cam Thomas would score 18 points, but had a tough night shooting 6-20 from the floor, 1-8 from three point range, and 5-8 from the free throw line. The team continues to struggle shooting the ball as they could only manage 38% from the floor, as they missed several easy attempts, combined with some poor shot selection. The Tigers were also ice cold from behind the three point arc, going 4-23 for only 17%. 
   
   After it looked like the Tigers had put it all together things have suddenly gone south in a hurry with back to back blowout losses. 
   All of a sudden the offense has become broken. Is it coaching??? Trendon Watford and Cam Thomas are carrying this team as they are simply not getting enough offensive production from the rest of the lineup. The defensive effort and rebounding needs to step up if they are to going to turn the season around and get back on track. The Tigers are now 10-4 overall, 5-3 in the SEC.....

   LSU will travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M on Tuesday, January 26th at 8pm. The game will be carried by SEC Network....
    

Photos Below By: LSU/SEC

1/19/2021
By: Jordan Taylor
Da Boot Sports!



   BATON ROUGE, La: It would be the battle for first place in the SEC when LSU (10-2 overall, 5-1 in the SEC) would host the #18 ranked Alabama (11-3 overall, 6-0 in SEC play).
   The Tigers would receive some good news prior to tip off as they would welcome back Shareef O'Neil as he returns from an ankle injury. His return should give the Tigers some added help off of the bench.
   LSU is riding a four game winning streak going into tonight's contest as they have really come together as a unit and have been impressive.
   No change in Will Wade's starting lineup as Wilkinson, Smart, Watford, Days, & Thomas will take the court to start for the Fighting Tigers. 

   Below is our game recap of Tuesday night's battle for first place in this pivotal SEC matchup:

​

          1st HALF:

   Things would get under way after Bama controlled the opening tip off. Scoring wouldn't take long after LSU came up empty on their first possession and Alabama would cash in with a deep shot from three point range by John Petty Jr. 
   LSU's first points of the game would finally come at the 18:50 mark when Darius Days would score on a put back dunk.
   The Tigers would attack Bama in the paint early on while the Tide would heat up from the outside as they would make six straight three pointers.  Four of those coming from Connor Vanover forcing LSU to burn a timeout trailing 18-4 with 15:44 on the clock.
   Coming out of the timeout Alabama would continue their hot outside shooting streak, pushing the lead to 30-8 after hitting their 8th three pointer with 13:22 left in the half.   
   It would continue to get worse for the Tigers as they would struggle with turnovers and poor shooting throughout the half. The ball just didn't seem to fall in LSU's favor as adversity struck left and right. Everything that could go bad for the Tigers did, while Alabama did almost everything to perfection.
   Alabama was having a freakish, Twightlight Zone type of performance that you seldom witness. With seven seconds left on the clock and down by 31 points, LSU would cut into the lead with a three pointer made by Javonte Smart at the buzzer to head into halftime down 60-32.
   LSU would shoot a dismal 13-35 for 37% from the floor and only 2-12 from behind the three point arc for only 17% in the first half. The Tigers were also out rebounded by the quicker Tide 19-14. 
   Alabama ended the first 20 minutes going 21-32 from the floor for 66%, while going an amazing 14-19 from three point range for 74%. 
   Your leading scorers in the first half was Trendon Watford with 10 points and for Alabama John Petty Jr would total 21 points. 
 



          2nd HALF:

   The start of the second half would begin with Alabama cashing in first with a tip in. LSU would bring a lot of energy out the locker room but Alabama's continued success from three point land would quiet things down for the Tigers as the rout would carry on with brutality.
   The Tide would draining four three point shots in the first five minutes of the half to increase their 'social distancing' lead to 78-44 at the 15:05 mark.
  Over the next five minutes LSU couldn't get much going on the offensive side of the ball with countless missed shots and turnovers, which would lead to Bama's largest lead of the game, 89-46.   
   With still ten minutes remaining in the contest, and behind by 43 points, LSU continued to showed no quit and they would continue to fight. Watching the Tigers trying to battle back was like watching someone slowly sink in quicksand while they desperately struggle to survive. 
   Both teams would empty their benches with three minutes remaining with the score painfully sitting at 104-65. The reserves would finish out the contest in what was a very disappointing night for the LSU basketball program. 
    The game clock would mercifully run out with Alabama's stunning 105-75 dismantling of LSU.



   Cam Jordan would lead the Tigers in scoring on the night with 21 points, while Javonte Smart would add 12 points, and Trendon Watford would contribute 11. 
   Nothing else to say about this review other then LSU faced a very talented visiting team that found themselves in an incredible shooting zone and simply could do no wrong. 
   This is a very good LSU team that still has a lot to play for. They simply need to forget about this freakish loss, put it behind them and move on. 
   Up next for the Tigers is a trip to Lexington, Ky. to take on the 4-8 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, January 23rd. Tipoff is set for 5pm and the game will be carried by ESPN. 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photo Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

1/16/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   BATON ROUGE, La: LSU would take their three game winning streak into Saturday night's contest with the South Carolina Gamecocks in the PMAC. After forty hard fought minutes they increased that winning streak to four with a 85-80 victory.
   The 3-2 Gamecocks came to Baton Rouge not having played a game since January 6th due to a string of COVID issues. COVID issues that have caused South Carolina to either cancel or postpone eight of their contest. Many felt, including myself, that the rust would show and they would struggle against a red hot LSU squad. Boy, were we wrong. The Cocks looked refreshed and rested playing with great intensity giving the Tigers all they could handle in an exciting SEC matchup. 

   Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' Game Break Down...


    

          1st HALF:

   The Gamecocks would score first as AJ Lawson would hit a three pointer a minute into the contest for a 3-0 lead. Both teams would struggle to score over the next two minutes until Trendon Watford would get a roll in basket off of a close jumper to finally get the Tigers on the board. 
  The Tigers would find themselves struggling to get started as sloppy play, three turnovers, poor shot selection, a weak defensive effort, and being outmatched on the boards would lead to a 19-8 Carolina lead with 12:11 to go in the half. 
  The Gamecocks would continue to show no signs of being rusty in their first action since January 6th as they continued to play with energy and intensity. 
   But the Tigers would finally find some spark on offense going on a 13-4 run to pull within two, 23-21 at the 8:00 mark. 
   South Carolina had shot well from the outside so far all night and they would continue to do so, as well as score off of more Tiger turnovers. A jumper made by Keyshawn Bryant would give the Cocks a 36-28 lead with 3:12 left to go. 
   The Tigers would fight back scoring five straight over the next 70 seconds to pull to within three, 36-33 at the two minute mark. 
   The final two minutes would be physically played by both teams, as we would go into the halftime break with South Carolina on top, 38-34. 
  Cam Thomas would lead the team in scoring at the half with 12 points, followed closely by Trendon Watford's 11 point effort, while Darius Days added 6. LSU would shoot below their season average not only from the floor going 12-30 for 40%, but also from behind the three point line, 1-8 for 13%, and from the free throw line, 9-15 for 60% in the first half.  The Tigers find themselves very fortunate to only trail by four at the break considering how poorly they played in the opening 20 minutes.
   Give the Gamecocks credit for a very well played first half as they took advantage of LSU mistakes, shot well from the outside, and played a suffocating man to man defense. 




          2nd HALF:

   The Gamecocks would start the second half with the same intensity they played with throughout the first 20 minutes as they would out score LSU 7-2 over the first two minutes to build a 45-36 lead. 
   The Tigers would suddenly wake up and go on a 12-3 run to tie the game up at 48-48 with 16:01 left on the game clock.
   Carolina would respond scoring seven straight as Keyshawn Bryant would hit a three and then score on a slam-dunk, with AJ Lawson scoring a basket on a fast break pulling ahead 55-48.
   Down 57-50 with 13:54 left on the game clock, the Tigers with explode on a 8-0 run, six of those points coming from two Javonte Smart three pointers to take their first lead of the ball game, 58-57.
   The Gamecocks came to play with their A-Game tonight as they would continue to take advantage of LSU missed shots and turnovers, out hustling the Tigers on a 15-7 run over the next seven minutes, building a 72-67 lead with 7:24 to go. 
   Over the next four minutes the Tigers would go on an electrifying 9-2 run to take the lead 76-74 with 3:30 left in the game, as Darius Days and Cam Thomas would each hit a three, followed by six straight points scored by Trendon Watford. 
   Jermaine Couisnard would hit two free throws to tie things up a few seconds later, before Watford would answer with two charity shots of his own at the other end of the court, 78-76 Tigers with 2:32 to go.
   Cam Thomas would hit two free throws to increase the lead to 80-76.
   Both teams would battle hard but struggle to score until Thomas would hit a huge jumper with 47 seconds on the clock, followed by another two points from the line by Thomas with 34 ticks remaining. 84-76 Tigers.
   The Gamecocks would cut it to 84-80 with 13 seconds left, but LSU would hold on for their fourth straight victory, 85-80.



   Cameron Thomas lead the Tigers with 25 points on the night. Trendon Watford had one of his best games of the season as he would contribute 23 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Javonte Smart had a great second half as he finished with 15 points and Darius Days finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. 
   The Tigers shot 27-59 from the floor for 46%, ... Made 7-18 from three point range for 39%, ... and had another tough night at the free throw line shooting 24-32 for 75%....  The Tigers forced 15 turnovers while committing 13 on the night. Carolina out-rebounded LSU, 39-37... With the win LSU is now 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the SEC...  

   Up next for the Tigers is a huge matchup at home against Alabama, 11-3 overall and 6-0 in SEC play, on Tuesday, January 19th at 8pm for first place in the conference. 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: LSU/SEC

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

1/13/2021
By: Jordan Taylor
Da Boot Sports!



   Coming off one of their better performances of the season in Oxford, a 75-61 win over Ole Miss, the 8-2 Tigers will look to shift gears as they are back home to play a red hot 10-2 Arkansas basketball team.
   The biggest question mark heading into this pivotal SEC match up would be the health of Cameron Thomas, who turned his ankle on Saturday against the Rebels. Turns out the injury was not nearly as serious as it looked and Thomas will be in the starting lineup on Wednesday night.  LSU would come into this contest somewhat undermanned with only 12 players dressing out due to injuries and Charles Manning Jr. entering the transfer portal. 
   Regardless, the Tigers would pick up where they left off in Oxford, as they would dominate the Razorbacks on both ends of the floor with their own style of "40 minutes of Hell"... LSU played aggressively on offense and suffocating on defense all night long. Another impressive SEC victory for Will Wade and his LSU Fighting Tigers....
   Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' game recap...




          1st HALF:

   The Razorbacks would easily control the opening tip off after sending 7'3" Center Connor Vanover to jump, setting up the first score of the game as Vance Jackson of Arkansas would score on a easy lay up.
   LSU would start out very sloppy missing their first two shots badly allowing the Hogs to jump out 4-0. But it wouldn't take LSU long to get the ball rolling.
   The Tigers would start to ramp up the energy on both sides of the court for majority of the first half, as LSU would dictate the pace and flow of the game sending them on a 22-3 over the next six minutes of the half.       Josh Leblanc and Aundre Hyatt would provide a nice spark off the bench as the Tigers would quickly build on their lead. 
   Cam Thomas would hit a jumper off of a fast break to put LSU ahead 34-11 at the 9:34 mark. Over the next three minutes the game would become even more out of hand as the explosive Fighting Tigers would take a 31 point lead, 44-13 with still six minutes remaining in the period. 
   Arkansas is a very good basketball team to not fight hard to battle back as they would make three big 3's late in the half to slightly trim the Tigers lead to 49-31 with :31 ticks left on the clock..
   Cam Thomas would score the final two points of the 1st half from the free throw line giving LSU a 51-31 halftime advantage.
   Trendon Watford would lead the Tigers in scoring at the half with 13 points. LSU would shoot 50% from the field, 43% from three point land, and 82% from the charity line over the first 20 minutes. 




          2nd HALF:
 
   Arkansas would draw first blood in the second half with Moses Moody hitting two free throws to cut the LSU lead to 18 points. 
   Javonte Smart would answer by converting two free throws himself to increase the lead back to 20 points. Darius Days was simply a beast on the boards all game long for the Tigers, collecting and scoring off of multiple offensive rebounds. Trendon Watford would hit a jumper at the 15:36 mark to give LSU a 63-39 lead.  Every time Arkansas would try to start a run, the Tigers would simply have an answer as they would take every blow the Razorbacks had to offer and they would manage to hold onto a 20 point plus lead.
   It would simply be LSU's night as they played well on both ends of the court with relentless pressure and energy. They controlled the game tempo and stayed away from foul trouble.
   Over the final four minutes Arkansas would go on a run to cut the lead under 20 points with the help of several tic tac fouls called on the Tigers. 
   LSU would control the final two minutes of the contest to earn a very impressive 92-76 victory.



   With back to back blowout SEC wins, the Tigers are heading in the right direction, as it seems to be all coming together at the right time of the season for Will Wade's squad. 
   Trendon Watford finished with a double-double as he would lead the team in scoring with 23 points and grab 10 rebounds. Darius Days was everywhere, as he would also register a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Cam Thomas finished with 17 points, Javonte Smart had 13, and Mwani Wilkinson would contribute 11 as all five LSU starters finished with double digit scoring on the night. 
   As a team, the Tigers continue to shoot a solid 52% from the floor, while also hitting 7-19 from three point land for 37%. ... and finished 17-24 from the free throw line for 71%. The Tigers had a great night on the boards out rebounding the Hogs 48-39... The only low of the game was 19 turnovers.. 
   "We've got a great group." said Will Wade after the game. "I haven't had this much fun coaching a team since I've been here. I don't know where it's going to lead, but we've got great, great people. We're starting to come together. I'm very excited."
   
   Next up the Tigers will host South Carolina in the PMAC on Saturday, January 16th.. Tip Off is set for 7:30pm.. The game will be televised on SEC Network and Radio 98.1 FM.

Photo Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: LSU/SEC

Photos Below By: Terrill Weil

1/9/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


OXFORD, MS. : LSU was originally scheduled to travel to Columbia, MO to play Missouri before
COVID-19 issues would step in causing the game to be postponed. Meanwhile, South Carolina was scheduled to play Ole Miss in Oxford on Saturday as well. That game ran into the same situation as the Gamecocks were unable to travel for their contest with COVID-19 issues. The SEC quickly decided to move the LSU at Ole Miss game scheduled to take place in February to January 9th.
The Tigers would travel to Oxford and leave with a dominating 75-61 victory. Even though LSU lost Cameron Thomas in the opening seconds of the game to an ankle injury, they still started fast out of the gate and never looked back.
Will Wade seemed very pleased with his team's performance. "This is the team we can be. We played like how we need to play. We don't need to go back. We have to be moving forward from here on out. Our focus was through the roof." Wade would also mention that the energy on both the floor and the bench was "championship-level."

​ Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' Game Break Down....




1st HALF:

The Tigers controlled the opening tip, but Cameron Thomas would miss-fire from behind the three point arc, turning his ankle on the way down. Thomas would need to leave the game with a bad limp. The Tigers however would still get on the board first as Darius Days would hit a three pointer a half minute into the contest to give LSU a 3-0 lead.
Over the next four and a half minutes LSU would go on a 10-2 run as the Tigers began the game red hot on offense and playing suffocating defense on Ole Miss, taking a 15-2 lead with 15:05 to go. Two minutes later Javonte Smart hit bang a three pointer to extend the LSU lead to 15 at the 13:13 mark, 20-5.
LSU would continue their dominating performance, as the Rebels would find it tough going trying to slow down Smart and Trendon Watford who both were having their way with the Land-Sharks. Then all of a sudden, Eric Gaines would score five straight putting the Tigers up 26-9 with 9:19 left in the half.
The Tigers however would finally cool off slightly and find themselves slip into a defensive lapse for a few minutes allowing the Black-Bears to go on a 12-6 run over the next seven minutes, cutting LSU's lead to 32-21 with 2:37 left on the clock.
But in the final two minutes LSU would shift back into high gear outscoring Ole Miss the rest of the way, 7-0 to hold a 39-21 lead at halftime.
Trendon Watford would lead LSU in the first period with 12 points, while Jovante Smart would add 11. Darius Days would score 8, and Eric Gaines contributed 6.
The Tigers would shot a solid 15-30 from the floor for 50%, along with 6-13 from three point land, 46%. ... Ole Miss struggled all 1st half long as they were 6-23 on their field goal attempts for 26%, with a dismal 1-10 from behind the three arc. ... LSU only turned the ball over seven times while forcing the Land-Sharks into 12. The Tigers also held a slight 18-17 edge in rebounding......




2nd HALF:

​ The Ole Miss Black-Bears would try to kick start a comeback in the 2nd half starting the scoring with a quick three pointer by Luis Rodriguez. But the Tigers would have none of it, going on a 8-2 run to take their biggest lead of the contest, 47-26 at the 17:37 mark.
It would simply be LSU's night as they would continue to play well on both ends of the court, controlling the game tempo and playing solid defense throughout the second half. Ole Miss simply struggled to match LSU's athleticism as the Tigers were the better team.
After steadily trailing LSU by 20 plus through most of the second period, the Rebels would cut lead to 16 with 2:45 left in the game. The Tigers would show signs of relaxing, taking their foot off of the pedal a little too much allow the Land-Sharks to chip away at the huge lead some before closing the game out with a 75-61 win.



The Tigers played a great game dominating Ole Miss for 40 minutes, even without Cameron Thomas who left the game only seconds in with an ankle injury. With Thomas out, the three team veterans, Watford (21 points), Smart (17 points), and Days (15 points), all stepped up with outstanding play all night long and Eric Gaines would contribute 10 points coming off the bench.
LSU finished the contest shooting 48% from the floor, while going 8-21 from three point range for 38%, and finishing 13-16 from the free throw line for 81%.
With the win, the Tigers are now 8-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
Next up, LSU will return home on Wednesday, January 13th to host Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 6pm. The game will be on ESPN2 and Radio 98.1 FM

​

Photos Below By: LSU/SEC

1/8/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Kent Lowe


LSU AT MISSOURI MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME POSTPONED, JAN. 9 SCHEDULE UPDATED


​ The LSU at Missouri men’s basketball game of January 9 has been postponed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the Missouri basketball program, consistent with Southeastern Conference COVID-19 management requirements. A make-up date has not been determined at this time.

With the South Carolina at Ole Miss game scheduled for Jan. 9 also postponed, the LSU at Ole Miss game originally scheduled for Feb. 17 will now be played at 8:30 pm ET on Jan. 9 and will be available on SEC Network.

The SEC’s COVID-19 management requirements, as developed by the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force, are available on SECsports.com. (full report).

1/6/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


BATON ROUGE, La: Coming off of a disappointing 83-79 loss to the Gators in Gainesville, the Tigers were looking to bounce back against a very good Georgia Bulldogs team on Wednesday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Bounce back they did. At times it wasn't pretty, but the Tigers made the key plays when needed to escape with an exciting 94-92 victory. With the win, LSU is now 7-2 overall / 2-1 in SEC play.

Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' game breakdown....




1st HALF:

The Tigers would control the opening tip and score quickly as Trendon Watford would drive and lay it up and in.. Georgia would push it fast back down the court beating the Tigers to the goal for a slam dunk by Tye Fagan to knot it up at 2-2.
​ Javonte Smart would answer with a three pointer but the Bulldogs again would race down the floor for another dunk to pull to within 5-4 at the 19:00 mark.
With Georgia up 6-5, the Tigers would go on a 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 13-6
advantage at the 16:14 mark.
Over the next five minutes Georgia would turn up the heat outscoring LSU 9-3 to put the score at 19-15 Tigers with 12:54 to go.
At the 11:06 mark, the Bulldogs would tie the score up at 21-21 with a couple of free throws by Christian Brown. Then take a two point lead with 9:35 left to after two more successful free throw attempts by Brown.
Charles Manning would tie things up with a running thunderous dunk up the lane, waking up the Assembly Center crowd.
The aggressive play by both teams would continue over the next four minutes of play with LSU
​clinging onto a 33-30 lead at the 3:42 mark.
With 2:44 to go, the Tigers would go up by seven, 38-31 on a three pointer by Trendon Watford. Georgia would then not only close the gap, but take the lead 39-38 as they quickly would go on a 8-0 run after LSU would ice up missing a few easy shot opportunities.
Trailing 42-40 with :15 second left in the first half, Javonte Smart would take the ball coast to coast and draw a shooting foul with :03 ticks left. Smart would can both free throws to pull us even at 42-42 at halftime.
Trendon Watford would lead the Tigers in scoring at the half with 12 points, as Javonte Smart would add 11.



​ 2nd HALF:

Georgia would come out and start the second half hot as a pistol, scoring five straight in the first minute of play for a 47-42 lead.
The Bulldogs would continue to hold onto the lead until Trendon Watford would score on a layup to give the Tigers a 50-49 lead at the 16:08 mark. Over the next four minutes both teams would battle back and forth with several lead changes.
With the score 58-56 Georgia, the Bulldogs would go on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 68-58 lead with 9:07 to go.
The Tigers would battle back as Cameron Thomas would score and draw a foul, hitting the charity shot to cut three off of the lead. After a Bulldog miss the Tigers would take advantage as Darius Days would score and draw a foul on the play. Days would hit his free throw to pull to within 68-64. On the inbounds pass, Javonte Smart would make a quick steal and easily lay it up and in cutting the lead to 68-66 with 7:51 left to go.
The pace would stay fast and furious as both teams would continue to race up and down the court, each taking turns grabbing the lead until finding the game all even at 72-72 at the 6:23 mark.
The Bulldogs would then run off five straight points going up 77-72 with 4:47 to go. But the Tigers would battle back cutting the lead to three on two Cam Thomas free throws.
The score would stay at 77-74 until Georgia's Sahvir Wheeler would hit a three pointer putting the Bulldogs up by six, 80-74 with 1:57 left.
On back to back possessions Javonte Smart would rise to the occasion hitting back to back threes to tie the game all up at 80-80 with 1:10 left to play. Both teams would have an opportunity to win it in regulation but no shots would fall as we would head to overtime.


OVERTIME:

Both teams would miss-fire to begin the overtime period before Wheeler would make two free throws to give Georgia the lead 82-80. Then an official would make a horrible call on Trendon Watford for charging.. Tigers would race back down the court after a defensive rebound and answer with a Cam Thomas three point basket to put LSU up 83-82 with 3:28 left.
Georgia's Toumani Camara would miss two free throws. Watford would then miss two free throws on the other end with 2:23 left.
The Bulldogs would score a basket. 84-83... Thomas would hit two free throws to put the Tigers up 85-84 with 2:04 to go.
Cam Thomas would continue his hot streak at the free throw line hitting two more putting LSU up, 87-84.
Georgia would go to the line on a phantom foul, converting both to cut it back to one, 87-86. Then on the Tigers next trip down the court, Darius Days would hit a wide open three with 49 seconds left, extending the Tigers lead to 90-86.
With :43 seconds left Wheeler would hit one of two free throws for Georgia cutting the lead to 90-87. On the way down the court, Trendon Watford would be fouled. Watford, who was 0-7 on the night from the free throw line would hit both, 92-87 Tigers.
Georgia would not give up, racing down the court and hitting a three, to pull to within 92-90 with :29 seconds left.
Watford would again draw the foul after crossing midcourt putting him back on the line. He would make one of two, 93-90, Tigers. Georgia would race down the court and score on a layup to cut the lead to one, 93-92 with 15 seconds to play.
On the inbounds, Cam Thomas would draw the foul and make one of two of his free throws putting LSU up 94-92 with 9 ticks left.
​ Georgia would take the ball in after a timeout, and miss a shot in the paint with 2 seconds left.
Cam Thomas would rebound the ball to seal the 94-92 victory for LSU...



The Tigers played an inspiring ball game beating a very good Georgia team. Once again they performed with poise and heart battling for 40 minutes for the win. Cameron Thomas lead the team in scoring with 26 points. Thomas also set a LSU record by making 42 consecutive free throws, breaking the record of 35 set by Chris Jackson during the 1989-90 season. Javonte Smart had a big game scoring 21 points, while Trendon Watford would contribute 17 points. Darius Days finished with another double-double, as he would score 13 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
For Georgia, Justin Kier lead the way with 25 points, while Sahvir Wheeler scored 21 points.

This was a great SEC basketball game played between two very good teams. Both teams played each other very evenly. Even with a final score of 94-92, you simply don't see final game stats so even like in this contest. LSU shot 31-70 from the floor for 44%. ... 10-30 from three point range, 33%. .... 22-33 from the free throw line, 67%. .... The Tigers committed 16 turnovers and finished the game with 40 rebounds...
Georgia shot 34-71 from the floor for 48%. .... Shot 12-25 from three point land, 34%. ..... 12-18 at the free throw line for 67%. ..... The Bulldogs turned the ball over 22 times and finished the game with 43 rebounds..

Next up, LSU will travel to Columbia, MO. to battle 13th ranked Missouri (7-2) on Saturday, January 9th at 7:30pm. The game will be carried by SEC Network.....

LSU players post game quotes....


LSU Players– Postgame v. Georgia Quotes
January 6, 2021
 
 


Forward Darius Days
 
On the feelings and the energy of the team throughout the entire game …
 
“I just feel like we came out kind of slow at first and then we picked it up the last 14 minutes of the game. Then we went into overtime and then we got the win. Nothing was going wrong; we are just trying to get better every day. Build better chemistry as a team. That’s what we did in the end and we came out with the win.”
 

On the threes that Georgia was hitting …
 
“Right. We play in something called a scoring area and they were far back beyond the scoring area and they just hit tough shots. Tonight was their night and their threes were falling. Hats off to Georgia. But sometimes there are things that you just can’t do or coach. They are shooting the balls at the logo so some things you can’t coach or teach.”




Guard Javonte Smart
 
On the confidence he had when he hit the threes to tie the game …
 
“We got a lot of shots up, before practice and after practice. We work out a lot, every day. I just try to put the work in so we can have a good game and knock down the big shots when we need them.”
 
On the team still trying to figure out their dynamic …
 
“We need games like this. SEC games are hard. We have to find ways to figure things out and keep fighting. We are going to go back into the lab and keep working. I know our defense wasn’t the best, but I promise we are going to get it better. I’m just happy to win.
 




Guard Cameron Thomas
 
On staying confident when a lot of his shots weren’t going in …
 
“I had to get to the free throw line to get back in the game and for us to have a chance to win. It happens. Everybody has a game like that.”
 
On his pick and pop to Darius (Days) when he was wide open …
 
“Yeah, they sent two with me. Which they were doing the whole game, double teaming me off the ball screens, double guard and double screen. I knew Days was going to be open. I just gave it to him, and he made it. it was a good shot for Days.”

Coach Wade after the game.....


LSU vs. Georgia
January 6, 2021
LSU Head Coach Will Wade– Postgame v. Georgia Quotes
 
 
On losing the lead three or four times but coming out with the win in the end …
 
“We were down 10 with nine minutes left. We put ourselves in a tough spot, but we picked up our energy and we picked up our urgency. I thought that helped us out. At the end of the day, every SEC game is hard to win. There is no easy SEC game. You have to dig it out. You have to find a way. That is part of life in this conference. There is no easy way up the mountain. It was a difficult win but at the end of the day we found a way. We made enough plays. We got just enough defensive stops. We made enough winning plays. I thought in Mwani Wilkinson made some tremendous winning plays for us, saves, rebounds, defensive plays. That was huge for us.
 
On erasing the 10-point lead Georgia had in the second half…
 
“It was critical because we had to get it back within striking distance so we could play it out in the six-minute game. We could play it out down the stretch. We got two-and-ones. We stole the ball in the diamond press. In our activity defensively, we gave up a lot of threes. They made some threes. Our activity defensively was better. The 19 steals and their 22 turnovers really bailed us out.”

1/5/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


Will Wade spoke with the media today to briefly discuss the Tigers' loss to Florida and looking ahead to Wednesday night's huge matchup with the (7-1) Georgia Bulldogs in the Maravich Center.....

​Below is a video of the press conference for your viewing...

1/2/2021
By: Mike Lanclos
Da Boot Sports!


GAINESVILLE, FL: The LSU Tigers dropped their first road game in the SEC to a good Florida Gator Basketball team by a score of 83-79. With the loss, LSU now sits at 6-2, 1-1 in SEC play. The Gators improve to 2-0 in Conference action and 5-1 overall.
At the start of the game, LSU looked like they were well on their way to bring home a win, but Florida would continue to push the Tigers to their limit and played inspiringly towards the end to gut out the victory.

To get the game started LSU would jump out to a quick early 5-0 lead as Javonte Smart would get a layup and a free throw to get the Tigers on the board, followed by a jumper by Cam Thomas. Florida would eventually tie the game up after Colin Castleton would get a layup of his own to even things up two minutes into the game.
LSU would create some breathing room again as they would go on a 7-2 run over the next two minutes to build a 12-7 advantage.
Florida would get things started again going on a 6-0 run ending with Anthony Duruji sinking a
jump shot to give the Gators the lead 13-12. with 16:22 left on the clock.
LSU would then put the pressure on Florida as they would get a lead themselves by going up 18-13 after Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart would each hit three point buckets.
The Gators would bounce back in a close back and forth contest as they would regain the lead after Scottie Lewis would dunk the ball on a alleyoop to give his team a 19-18 advantage.
Cameron Thomas would hit 3 free throw shots along with a three pointer for LSU to even the game at 26 a piece with 8:54 left. For the next 7 minutes, the game would remain close with the Tigers maintaining a small lead until Florida would tie things up again with 1:28 left, 35-35..
Right before the half would end, Florida would nail a three point bucket just in time to beat the buzzer to make the game tied at 40 a piece.



The second half would continue to go back and forth, however the Gators would take a 48-45 lead at the 16:11 mark and never looked back. start to get away from them. Florida would build their lead as LSU would have trouble slowing down Colin Castleton, who eventually helped give the Gators a 10 point lead at the 12:00 mark.
The Tigers would fight to stay close, but it was simply Florida's contest to win as the ball would seem to bounce their way all second half long. Late in the game LSU would find themselves in foul trouble, But would still not go away quietly as they would cut the Gators lead to 3 points with 19 seconds left in the game. Then battle to get to within 81-79 with six ticks left on the clock, but Florida would hit their free throws to seal the win.


Cameron Thomas led the Tigers with 28 points while Trendon Watford contributed 21 points and Javonte smart help with 20 points. LSU finished 25-61 from the floor for 41%. From three point land, they would go 7-18 on the day.
For the Gators, Colin Castleton led his team with 21 points. Tre Mann had 19 points. Scottie Lewis would add 17 points along with Anthony Duruji throwing in 16 points. The Gators would get 34 points in the paint and 5 three point shots to go down.

LSU coach will Wade summed up the game best as he would comment, "We tried a bunch of different defenses but we just ran out of bodies," Wade said. "We missed a lot of stuff at the rim and that's a credit to their length and athleticism and it was just tough sledding for us to finish."


The Tigers will look to rebound as they return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to play the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday January 6. Tip Off is set for 6 pm.