What we learned from LSU Game

[GGGG]

1. It is going to be very difficult for us to score if Jae and DJO are inconsistent.  Mayo is going to look like a freshman.  Vander, Jamil, Junior, etc. are likely not double digit scorers.  Davante can put the ball in the hoop, but is a liability defensively.  We just are not going to be a very balanced scoring team this year.

2.  As Ners mentioned, length is still our problem.  Otule needs to get back but even then, we are probably a year or so away from being where Buzz wants us to be.

3.  We still struggle with our rotations on defense.  Too much overplay and just a little bit late.

[ATWizJr]

Were we up 13-0?

[79Warrior]

1. It is going to be very difficult for us to score if Jae and DJO are inconsistent.  Mayo is going to look like a freshman.  Vander, Jamil, Junior, etc. are likely not double digit scorers.  Davante can put the ball in the hoop, but is a liability defensively.  We just are not going to be a very balanced scoring team this year.

2.  As Ners mentioned, length is still our problem.  Otule needs to get back but even then, we are probably a year or so away from being where Buzz wants us to be.

3.  We still struggle with our rotations on defense.  Too much overplay and just a little bit late.

I thought Jae was the only one wearing his uniform tonight.

[NotAnAlum]

Yes but we fell in love with the 3 and when they didn't fall LSU got right back in it.

[MerrittsMustache]

Everything is magnified when shots aren't falling. MU is clearly a better team than LSU and they'd win 9 of 10 match-ups against them. However, if MU shoots poorly and commits stupid TOs, they're going to lose to inferior teams...especially when those inferior teams shoot 54% from the floor and hit 7-11 threes.

Sometimes it's just not your night.

[GGGG]

Were we up 13-0?

Yes.  We can out with a lot of energy and hit shots early.  LSU got us into a half court game and it look us awhile to adjust.

[DCWarriors04]

After opening on a 13-0 run, it looked as if they just decided to hang it up...except for Jae.

[Dr. Blackheart]

It's not a guards' game.

[TJ]

We need a better showing in the paint on the defensive end.  It would be wonderful if Chris comes back, but we played an entire season with 7 players and an average height of like 6'3" and had better interior defense/presence than this.

[Norm]

Yes but we fell in love with the 3 and when they didn't fall LSU got right back in it.

Jae and DJO went 8-17 from 3 point land, the rest of the team combined for 0-9.

[21Jumpstreet]

That losses happen.  Davidson just beat Kansas.  I'm disappointed but not crushed.

[GGGG]

After opening on a 13-0 run, it looked as if they just decided to hang it up...except for Jae.

That doesn't give LSU enough credit.  Johnson didn't wait for the television timeout...he called a quick one, settled his team down, brought in some experienced subs, and simply played better.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Big bummer, but not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. It is not like we were going to go undefeated...losing at LSU is not a bad loss.

It is a bummer that our life in the top 10 will be very short..but again its not that big of a deal. Beat UWM and Vandy...go 13-5 or 12-6 in conference...and we are still looking at 4 seed or higher.

[Clam Crowder]

We played awful in the first, and took a little too many three's. Todd looked like a freshman tonight, Vander looked like the Van we all came to hate last year in big east play, and DJO tried to do a little too much...6 to's is not good. The only positives I saw from what was an overall awful game were Davante and Jae...In addition we wont have another game with that dumbass from the paradise jam. Thank the lord

[SaveOD238]

We learned we need to get back and get defensive stops in key moments.  It seemed like everytime we got a lead in the second half, LSU knocked down a three early to take it right back.  If we had turned just one of those into a miss we would have been in way better shape momentum wise.  This sucks, and it shows how much we miss otule...time to cream Milwaukee and get back on track

[MerrittsMustache]

After opening on a 13-0 run, it looked as if they just decided to hang it up...except for Jae.

Totally disagree. When shots don't fall (MU shot 3-21 after the 13-0 start), teams look disceivingly bad.

[KenoshaWarrior]

Big bummer, but not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. It is not like we were going to go undefeated...losing at LSU is not a bad loss.

It is a bummer that our life in the top 10 will be very short..but again its not that big of a deal. Beat UWM and Vandy...go 13-5 or 12-6 in conference...and we are still looking at 4 seed or higher.

Completely agree.  In the grand scheme of things this is a loss on the road to a BCS team, and when it comes to national perception losing to LSU in Baton Rouge is not a huge deal. 

Kansas just lost to Davidson at Home that is a much bigger deal. 

Win out in Conference and this will be no more memorable as our loss to NC State in 2009

[MattyWarrior]

I disagree. MU would have a hard time in every matchup with LSU. We have no size and no plan when we play halfcourt offense
They were leaping over us and dunking on us. DJO gets frustrated and turns it over at least 5 times, when will he learn to pull-up
for mid range jumpers? Jae was playin pretty much alone tonite.

[TJ]

Imagine if LSU didn't turn the ball over so much in the second half and shot to their average in free throws...

[ATL MU Warrior]

We scream "AND 1" with the best of 'em!

That's seriously the one thing I really dislike about our team.  This loss doesn't matter.  We're going to lose quite a few games without Otule that we could win with him, although I'm not sure he would have really helped that much tonight.    

[RyanConroy]

Imagine if LSU didn't turn the ball over so much in the second half and shot to their average in free throws...

Imagine if they didn't make every big shot they attempted in the second half.

[MUBurrow]

We've shown in smaller spurts against worse teams this year that we have some major issues attacking the zone. That leads to our reliance on the three and our inconsistent scoring. Today we played a very very athletic and long team that went into the zone and gave us huge fits.  Even though we lost, its definitely good we played this game before we have to travel to Syracuse, et al.

Sure LSU made some big shots today, but I still think tonight's score stems from our inability to get the offense we wanted more than their hucking up shots.

[77ncaachamps]

Despite the bad reffing, this team needed to experience it and push through.

We don't have the rebounding like we should.
Whether Davante or Jae is in there, we need more boards from the switchables.

But let the big man posts begin. We need a true 5.

Sweet 16 team had McIlvaine.
Final Four had Jackson.
Elite Eight had Otule, which in itself is remarkable how far we got.

[ATWizJr]

Completely agree.  In the grand scheme of things this is a loss on the road to a BCS team, and when it comes to national perception losing to LSU in Baton Rouge is not a huge deal. 

Kansas just lost to Davidson at Home that is a much bigger deal. 

Win out in Conference and this will be no more memorable as our loss to NC State in 2009

It's the missed opportunities that are so frustrating.  This was one we should have been able to win, esp with a 13 point lead.  That's not a major disappointment?  C'mon.

[TJ]

Imagine if they didn't make every big shot they attempted in the second half.

Big shot or unlikely shot?  Big shots get made all the time.  They had a few unlikely ones, but not enough to make up for their terrible FT shooting and turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half.