LSU basketball still growing as non-conference schedule reaches final stretch

By the time LSU tips off with Wake Forest for the Holiday Hoopsgiving tournament on Saturday afternoon, it will have been over a week since the Tigers last took the court.

That’s a blessing in disguise for this group under coach Matt McMahon, who have used this extra time between games to work on their own chemistry while also finishing up finals week. This is a team with some issues to sort out before the start of conference play later this month and with four games before that SEC opener with top 10 Arkansas, there’s plenty to be sorted out.

Diving into some of the particulars of on court work for the purple and gold this week, it all starts with more offensive efficiency and the best way to combat that issue is by limiting the amount of turnovers. LSU is turning the ball over 17.8% per offensive possession, which ranks No. 255 in the country.

LSU has been able to pull out a couple of close late games because the execution on offense has been better down the stretch, even if it doesn’t always lead to scoring possessions.

“When you turn the ball over, it puts your defense at a disadvantage in transition and when you look back at the last six minutes of those games, we executed better, didn’t necessarily score at an elite level but we eliminated some of those turnovers,” McMahon said.

The poor turnover rate bleeds right into the second point that McMahon made Thursday which has come on the defensive end, more specifically the rebounding and second chance opportunities opponents are getting as a result. LSU has cut its teeth on defense in the early stretch of the season, particularly the perimeter defense and the way it forced opponents into tough shots beyond the arc.

But part of the issue in limiting other teams to 27.4% on the year, ranking in the top 30 in the country, is the propensity for long rebounds and the second chance opportunities that come with them. Opponents are averaging 9.6 offensive rebounds per game.

Giving teams nearly 10 extra possessions per contest really stretches the long term capabilities of this defense which is why McMahon says there needs to be more of an emphasis on getting the guards to help in that department.

“The front court needs to be more physical in box outs. But where we have the most opportunity for growth, our guards have to rebound better, period,” McMahon said. “We’re getting very limited rebounding at the guard position and we have to rebound down for us to be effective. In theory you’d think the other teams’ guards would be getting back to setting their transition defense. So some of our guards need to get in the mix and chase down some of these long rebounds.”

LSU is facing a Wake Forest team that loves to shoot from the perimeter at a high volume and can connect at a very high rate. For a team that takes over 24 threes per game, for the Demon Deacons to be connecting on 35.4% of those shots is a decent mark for that high volume. Add in the dynamic scoring abilities of the guard Tyree Applebyand the purple and gold will need to stay disciplined on the perimeter while also getting through to their guards and wings about the importance of attacking the defensive glass.

“Very well coached team. They’ve shot it well from three and they’ve taken a high volume of threes, so the ability to defend the three point arc will be critical,” McMahon said. “Tyree Appleby has been one of the electric guards in all of college basketball.”

There’s time for this group to start showing the kind of improvement needed to compete in the conference this year. But the understanding that the chemistry needs to start growing at a more rapid pace cannot be overstated.

“There’s no secret to us. We’re one of the bottom 10 teams in returning minutes, so we have a lot of new guys really trying to develop that chemistry and that takes time,” McMahon said. “Just trying to help players make the transition, get a better understanding of the system and what we’re trying to accomplish, help them play with more confidence so everyone can max out their role.”