GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The LSU basketball team knew it was coming – January 4 and the opening of play in the vaunted Southeastern Conference against Vanderbilt has been out there waiting for the Tigers for months.
But they were not quite ready and fell to the Commodores, 80-72, Saturday afternoon in front of 8,479 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, dropping to 0-1 in the nation’s best conference by far against one of the lower level teams.
SEC IS A MONSTER BASKETBALL CONFERENCE
Vanderbilt (13-1, 1-0 SEC) led by as many 13 in the first half at 32-19 before LSU (11-3) cut it to 34-27 at the break. The Tigers made a game of it in the second half and even led for the first time since the opening minutes at 56-55 with 6:34 to go. But not for long, and soon Vanderbilt was up by seven at 64-57 and by 11 at 78-67 with :27 left, and it was over.
“In the first half, we had our, ‘Welcome to the SEC moment’ for all of us,” LSU senior transfer guard Cam Carter from Kansas State said. “The bumps, the toughness, the flow of the game. They were a disciplined team. They were aggressive. They threw the first punch.”
Vanderbilt also forced 11 turnovers in the first half – three from Carter, two from freshman guard Vyctorius Miller and two from senior transfer guard Jordan Sears of Tennessee-Martin.
“The little bumps knock you off balance and throw you off your game,” Sears said.
LSU adjusted and finished with just 15 turnovers, but Vanderbilt’s defense had a lasting impact. The Tigers took just 48 shots to 64 by the Commodores, and LSU shot better by 50 percent to 43 percent. But that was not enough shots.
“Their pressure and physicality really bothered us,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “We had a lot of empty trips there. Vanderbilt took 16 more shots than us. That’s too many. We shot well enough to win.”
Vanderbilt came into the game No. 4 in the nation with 10.8 steals a game and showed why.
“Some of it was poor decision making by us,” McMahon said. “Driving into traffic, getting caught up in the air.”
Vanderbilt’s physicality showed on the boards as it outrebounded the Tigers 37-27 and grabbed 20 defensive rebounds to just five offensive rebounds by the Tigers, partly due to the low number of shots and empty possessions.
“They were a good team,” said Carter, who led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting with 4 of 11 from 3-point range. He also led the team in turnovers with four.
“We’re going to come back next game way better. We’re going to turn it up a notch in practice,” Carter said.
The Tigers may try two notches. They play four of the next five on the road, beginning Tuesday night at 11-3 Missouri, which fell at No. 2 Auburn, 84-68, on Saturday. Then it will be No. 24 Ole Miss (12-2), which beat Georgia, 63-51, on Saturday.
Sears added 17 for LSU with three turnovers. Forward Corey Chest scored 12, but with just five rebounds, which tied Dji Bailey for the team lead. Guard A.J. Hoggard led Vanderbilt with 17 points, including nine in under two minutes from the 6:26 mark to the 4:28 mark. That erased LSU’s 56-55 lead and gave the Commodores a 66-59 advantage. He hit 2 of 3 from 3-point range over that barrage.
“His shot-making ability there in winning time was big,” McMahon said.
LSU had no one step up at that crucial juncture.
Forward Jaylen Carey scored 14 with eight rebounds off the bench for Vanderbilt. Forward Devin McGlockton grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored seven points. Guard MJ Collins scored 14 off the bench. LSU, on the other hand, managed only eight points off the bench.
Vanderbilt leading scorer Jason Edwards came in averaging 18.8, but scored just 12 as he missed most of the first half after injuring his knee. Guard Tyler Nickel was Vanderbilt’s fifth player in double figures with 11.
“Welcome to SEC play. It was a heck of a game,” Vanderbilt first-year coach Mark Byington said. He went to Nashville after five seasons as James Madison’s coach and seven before that at Georgia Southern.
“They fought back and made it a really tough game down the stretch,” he said. “We did just enough. I’m only one game in, but I appreciate this road win in the SEC. The athleticism jumps off. Corey Chest and Daimion Collins are unbelievable athletes.”
Collins was not himself, however. He scored only four points with four rebounds in 19 minutes.
“It was a good learning experience for us,” Carter said.
There won’t be much more time to learn lessons, however.
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