LSU has little time to look back
Their charter flight home wiped away by inclement weather, the LSU men’s basketball team boarded a bus late Wednesday and traveled five hours through the quiet, rainy night.
Little needed to be said.
Coaches and players filled the long ride home watching film of their 76-71 defeat at Mississippi State hours earlier, reliving everything from the seven-point lead LSU built — then blew — in the first half to the last-ditch rally in the final minute that barely fell short.
By the time the Tigers arrived back on campus, senior forward Storm Warren said everybody had put Wednesday’s near-miss in the rear-view mirror.
“You can’t keep reminiscing on certain things and certain mistakes you made,” Warren said. “If you do, it can affect your performance in the future.”
The next stop on the Tiger Express leaves zero room for looking behind, as top-ranked Kentucky arrives in town Saturday humming along like a freight train.
Kentucky (19-1) has won four of its six Southeastern Conference games by double figures. Six players average 10 points or more.
“It’s a unique experience,” center Justin Hamilton said. “You just have to embrace it and have fun with it.”
LSU faced a top-ranked opponent as recently as North Carolina in the 2009 NCAA tournament, but they haven’t met one at home since Arizona came calling early in the 2002-03 season.
The game has extra significance for freshman point guard Anthony Hickey, the state of Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball last year at Christian County High School.
Hickey grew up in Hopkinsville, Ky., dreaming of wearing Kentucky blue, but the Wildcats never recruited him. He showed Wednesday at State why they may now wish they had.
With the Tigers trailing by nine with 1:10 to play, Hickey made a trio of 3’s down the stretch to get them back into contention.
He cut the State lead to six, then stole an inbounds pass and cut it to three.
Then, with LSU trailing by four and 15 seconds to play, he knocked down a magnificent off-the-glass rainbow over the outstretched arms of Dee Bost.
Even after State guard Jalen Steele hit a pair of free throws, the Tigers had possession down by three with a chance to force overtime in the final seconds.
On the game’s decisive play, however, Hickey hit a trap and had the ball stripped away above the left wing.
Trent Johnson clearly thought Hickey was fouled.
But looking back at his Tigers’ fourth loss in as many SEC road games, the LSU coach said it all boiled down to four fat numbers 40 minutes in the making.
“That game was decided 46-26 on the glass,” Johnson. “It’s pretty plain and simple right there.”
But the season rolls along.
Kentucky will arrive at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday looking to extend its 12-game winning streak. LSU will face a No. 1 opponent for only the 16th time in program history.
More than ever before, the next game can’t come soon enough.