GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The non-conference season has gone along swimmingly for the LSU basketball team so far.
The Tigers are 8-1 with three quality and potentially very valuable wins toward an NCAA Tournament bid. And all three were convincing victories by the very end – 76-65 over Kansas State of the Big 12, 109-102 in three overtimes over Central Florida of the Big 12 and 85-75 over Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But the monstrous Southeastern Conference schedule is waiting for LSU early next month. And there, LSU will be swimming with sharks.
The SEC is off to one of its best seasons in history after just recently clinic-ing the mighty ACC, 14-2, in the SEC/ACC Challenge. SEC teams won 11 of those 14 by double digits and five by 20 or more.
And no less than nine SEC teams are ranked in the current Associated Press men’s basketball poll – No. 1. Tennessee (8-0), 2. Auburn (8-1), 5. Kentucky (8-1), 7. Alabama (7-2), 9. Florida (9-0), 13. Oklahoma (9-0), 17. Texas A&M (8-2), 19. Ole Miss (8-1) and 25. Mississippi State (8-1).
The Tigers host Vanderbilt (9-1) on Jan. 4, then go to Missouri (8-1) on Jan. 7 and to No. 19 Ole Miss on Jan. 11. Missouri knocked off then-No. 1 Kansas, 76-67, last week.
This is why LSU’s game against SMU (8-1) Saturday in Frisco, Texas (3 p.m., ESPNU), could be so pivotal for the Tigers in terms of enhancing their NCAA résumé as well as serving as a crash course in SEC basketball.
SMU is a very tall team that rebounds and shoots the 3-pointer very well. And its only loss is to – yes – an SEC team, 84-79 to No. 25 Mississippi State on Nov. 22 at SMU.
“They have the size and athleticism you’ll see in SEC play,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said.
The SEC is in the back of his mind, too.
SMU has a 7-foot-2, 265-pound center from Istanbul, Turkey, in freshman Samet Yigitogla, who is averaging 11 points and 6.6 rebounds a game and has blocked eight shots.
“Massive size,” McMahon said. “Really skilled down in the post. Can score over either shoulder. He’s also a good passer at the post. And they surround him with really good 3-point shooting. It puts us in some tough spots defensively because he’s a load to handle one-on-one in the post. He’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
SMU also has 6-7, 230-pound forward Matt Cross, who is averaging 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. He is a transfer from UMass who also played at Louisville after starting his career at Miami. LSU will combat SMU’s size with 6-9 junior forward Damion Collins and 6-8 redshirt freshman Corey Chest – two players blossoming recently.
Junior point guard Boopie Miller, a transfer from Wake Forest, leads SMU with 14.9 points and 5.6 assists a game. Senior 6-4 guard Kario Oquendo is hitting 51 percent of his 3-pointers at 16 of 31 and is averaging 10.6 points a game. Senior 6-4 guard Chuck Harris is shooting 45 percent from 3-point range at 17 of 37.
“Really well balanced team,” McMahon said. “We’ll have to play really well. It’s a great opportunity. SMU is a top 50 team. It’s good for your résumé. You’ve got to have a lot of focus on doing the things you need to do well, not only to win, but to keep getting better as a team.”
Because the SEC is waiting.
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