LSU vs Georgia

[Soonerinkc]

The final stats show LSU with 55 FTs vs 24 for Georgia. A 31 FT advantage is tough to overcome. Its amazing the game was as close as it was: 89-85.

The ESPN announcer asked Ben Simmons after the game why he has just tried 3 3-pointers all season. He was only 10-17 from the line. I think he's just an average outside shooter, but he has great handles for a 6'10" kid and is an uncanny passer. Kind of a young Magic Johnson.

Simmons said no one can stop him going to the rack...the biggest knock on him is he doesn't have a good outside shot. That is what EVERYONE is saying.

From what I've seen he gets a ton of points on put-backs. Need to box him out big time.

Someone said, give him is room out top...I agree, make him become a 15ft jump shooter, I don't think he'll be that great. Stop the others. He can't score 75 points alone.

 

[Zimwillett]

I was able to catch about the last 10 minutes of the second half. LSU is talented, but extremely undisciplined. They play a lot of "hero ball" on offense. Simmons is an obvious mismatch problem, but it's almost like the other guys feel like they have to get "theirs" and just forget about him sometimes. Overall they shoot very poorly, but one of their guards (Patterson) who had been below 30% from 3 hit 3 big ones late in the game so I'm hoping his little hot streak doesn't carry over to Saturday.

On defense, they were playing a lot of zone, but I don't think Jim Boeheim will be calling LSU for advice on zone principles anytime soon. Georgia missed a ton of open looks. I can't imagine they'll stay in a lot of zone Saturday, but it's possible they do it because they're even worse man to man. If OU shoots well, this could be a very fun game.

LSU got up 14 with about 2.5 minutes left and then basically gave up. This board would be in full meltdown if OU let a team do that. On one play, they let Georgia roll the ball almost to the 3 point line, the guy picked it up, drove uncontested to the rim and scored an easy layup with about 2 seconds going off the clock. I get that you don't want to give up an "and 1", but LSU just stood there and watched him do it. I was shocked.

I will say that LSU looks like the kind of team that will play "up" to its competition. I expect their crowd to be at full throat, and they have the talent to create problems if/when they get going. Should be a fun one.

 

[scrybe]

I read some pretty amusing stuff on the Tiger board earlier today. Many of their fans (not all) seem to believe that Buddy is our only scoring threat, and if they can limit his three-point looks (and they indeed believe they can), the Tigers will win easily.

One guy argued vehemently that Buddy is nowhere near the player JJ Reddick was in college, citing the fact that Reddick was a two-time All-American. I couldn't help but wonder if Reddick would have earned that honor even once had he played for OU instead of Duke.