The LSU basketball team is back in the Associated Top 25 poll for the first time since making an exit after losing back-to-back games in the Advocare Invitational to Florida State and Oklahoma State on Thanksgiving weekend.
The Tigers (14-3, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) edged their way into the rankings at No. 25 after dominant performances against then-No. 18 Ole Miss (83-69) on the road and South Carolina (89-67) in the PMAC.
LSU coach Will Wade, who normally doesn’t think much about rankings outside of NCAA Tournament seeding implications said he hopes the Tigers show resolve and continue to work their way up the poll this time around.
“Well, we didn’t handle it very well the first time we were ranked,” Wade said. “We were out of that thing pretty quick. Hopefully we’ll handle it better. … There’s no shortcuts. Human nature is to relax and give in a little bit.
“You have to fight human nature. You have to double down on what you do. You have to be tougher with what you do. You have to be better with your details. You have to be better with how hard you compete. You have to be better how connected you are as a group. All that stuff has to be better.”
LSU also worked its way up to No. 14 in the NET Rankings, the NCAA’s formula-based rankings that will heavily influence the NCAA Tournament Committee when it comes down to selecting seeds for the bracket.
The Tigers will look to build on their recent momentum Wednesday night at 6 p.m. when they host Georgia in the PMAC.
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