GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon is looking for a new formula in the backcourt after dropping a second straight, turnover-laden game in the Southeastern Conference, 83-67, at Missouri on Tuesday night.
So, look for a possible change at point guard as true freshman Curtis Givens III scored 15 points off the bench and took over the offense.
“We’ve got to figure out a new way to get some solutions to do a better job of taking care of the ball against the pressure,” McMahon said after his team committed 14 turnovers on the heels of 15 miscues in an 80-72 loss at home to Vanderbilt on Saturday in the SEC opener.
That loss looks worse now as Vanderbilt fell at home to No. 14 Mississippi State, 76-64, on Tuesday. And LSU and Vanderbilt look like the SEC bottom feeders at the moment.
LSU starting point guard Jordan Sears had his worst game of the season, committing two turnovers with no assists in 11 minutes and scoring just three points on 1-of-3 shooting as he got into foul trouble early.
“They were denying all our passes, putting a lot of pressure on us to beat them one-on-one, and did a nice job forcing us into a lot of mistakes in the first half,” McMahon said.
Missouri (12-3, 1-1 SEC) took a 19-9 lead halfway into the game that soon led to a 34-17 advantage at the 4:16 mark and 40-21 with 2:17 left in the first half before it led 42-27 at the half. LSU played better in the second half, but the closest it could get was 66-54 at the 7:40 mark.
Givens scored 10 of his 15 in the second half as he hit 5 of 13 shots and 3 of 8 from 3-point range overall with an assist and three turnovers in 31 minutes.
LSU’s CURTIS GIVENS III STEPS UP
“I thought it was huge to see Curtis Givens really step up and show some leadership at the point guard position,” McMahon said. “We’ve been struggling there of late, and I thought he was able to get us into offense. We moved the ball a lot better there in the second half. He hit some big threes.”
Do not be surprised if Givens starts or plays more when the Tigers play at No. 23 Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0 SEC) on Saturday (5 p.m., SEC Network).
Junior forward Daimion Collins also played well after aggravating his previous shoulder injury a week ago that had him questionable for the Vanderbilt game. He moved well, scoring 11 points with five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 27 minutes Tuesday after scoring just four points with four rebounds against Vanderbilt in 19 minutes.
“Daimion was productive,” McMahon said. “That was an important thing to see. He really tried to fight through on Saturday after his shoulder injury last week. I thought he played very well and provided some stability there in the front court.”
Guard Cam Carter led the Tigers with 16 points with three assists and two steals, but also had three turnovers. Guard Dji Bailey added 11 points with four assists and just one turnover.
“Dji was really solid for us. Really competed at a high level, and I think that needs to become contagious throughout our team,” McMahon said. “To have some more grit and toughness there on the perimeter against these pressure defenses that we’re seeing.”
And the Tigers will continue to see such attacks as the book is out on them – pressure the guards and make them drive.
Guard Tamar Bates led Missouri with 20 points and added eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Guard Anthony Robinson scored 16 points with four rebounds and four assists. LSU lost the rebounding battle convincingly for the second straight game, 37-29.
Vanderbilt 7-foot center Josh Gray, who played at LSU in the 2020-21 season, had a game-high 10 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
“They put so much pressure on your perimeter both ends of the floor,” McMahon said. “They deny. They switch. Really aggressive.”
LSU, meanwhile, looked shell-shocked for the second straight game.
“We have to have a huge focus these next three days on getting our team better,” McMahon said, “and finding some solutions to take care of the ball better and limit second shots in the first half.”
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