Magic in the PMAC?
Tigers welcome No. 1 Kentucky to town
The last time a No. 1 team visited the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, then-coach John Brady danced away wearing a Santa hat as fans rushed the court.
LSU held on to beat Arizona 66-65 on Dec. 21, 2002, a victory that shot the Tigers into the national rankings and ultimately helped them make their first NCAA tournament appearance in three years.
Today’s Tigers would love to create similar magic Saturday afternoon when top-ranked Kentucky comes calling.
Tip-off at the PMAC is set for 3 p.m.
“One thing we know is Kentucky’s going to come in here and they’re going to bring it,” senior forward Storm Warren said. “We’re not going to budge. We’re going to fight. We’re not giving up ground.”
Saturday marks only the 18th time in the history of LSU basketball that the Tigers will have a shot at the nation’s top team.
The last two times, it’s been in the NCAA tournament: an 84-70 loss to North Carolina in 2009’s second round, one of the toughest games the Tar Heels played on the way to winning a national championship and an unforgettable 62-54 win over Duke in the Sweet 16 in 2006, a result that shocked the college basketball world and helped propel LSU to its latest Final Four.
One of the most famous games in the program’s history came when LSU beat No. 1 Kentucky 95-94 at the PMAC back in 1978. Five reserves saved the day in overtime after all five LSU starters fouled out, helping Dale Brown turn the corner and position the Tigers for a Southeastern Conference championship the following year.
But LSU has mostly had a hard time in such matchups, as the Tigers enter Saturday at 3-14 all-time versus top-ranked opponents.
The latest try at No. 1 pits LSU (12-8 overall, 2-4 in the SEC) against a Kentucky team loaded with erstwhile five-star recruits, coming off an appearance in last year’s Final Four and looking to extend its 12-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (20-1, 6-0) have beaten four of their six SEC foes by double figures. If not for a buzzer-beater by Indiana back in December, they would bring to town a perfect 21-0 mark overall.
“I expect it to be a dogfight,” LSU guard Andre Stringer said.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, two of 25 finalists for the Wooden Award given to the nation’s top player, lead Kentucky’s latest batch of freshman phenoms. Kidd-Gilchrist averages 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. Davis, the national leader in blocked shots, averages 13.2 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Point guard Marquis Teague, averaging 10 points and 4.4 assists, follows one-and-done predecessors John Wall and Brandon Knight as the latest freshman to run coach John Calipari’s offense.
“He gets a lot of guys that are really talented,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said of Calipari, “but he gets a lot of guys that play hard. They take no prisoners. They come after you now.”
After losing five players to the NBA draft after his first year at Kentucky, Calipari lost only Knight and junior guard DeAndre Liggins this past offseason. Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones, now sophomores, were among the players who had a chance to leave early.
Lamb, a 6-foot-4 guard, is Kentucky’s leading scorer at 13.7 points per game. Jones, a 6-9 forward, averages 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds.
In all, six Kentucky players average double figures scoring.
The Wildcats are so good and so balanced, Johnson said it’s not hard preparing for them: You simply prepare for everyone.
“The national experts say Teague is their weakness,” Johnson said with a chuckle. “Teague is going to play in the NBA in a year or two.”
Senior guard Darius Miller is often overshadowed by his younger teammates, but the team’s elder statesmen has sometimes been its most valuable player.
Miller scored a game-high 19 points Tuesday in a 57-44 victory at Georgia. He has started only nine of 21 games, but still averages 10.3 points.
“We can’t lose our poise when they go on a run,” Johnson said. “Because they are going to go on a run.”
Saturday’s game culminates a brutal stretch for LSU that began at Florida last weekend and continued Wednesday night at Mississippi State. Kentucky will be LSU’s third straight ranked opponent, marking only the third time in school history the Tigers will have faced a ranked foe in three straight regular-season matchups.
The Tigers got on a roll in winning nine of their final 11 non-conference games, but have failed to capitalize on that momentum through six SEC games.
Last time out, they flirted with a breakthrough win.
Mississippi State led LSU by nine before Anthony Hickey hit three 3-pointers in the final 1:09 to help pull the Tigers as close as one point with 15 seconds remaining. It was a three-point game with under 10 seconds to go when Hickey hit a double-team and had the ball taken away as LSU looked to force overtime.
“We made sure nobody carried any kind of burden from that game,” Warren said. “We made sure to put it behind us.”
The Tigers can now turn their focus to the program’s latest shot at No. 1.
It’s the kind of game they know could turn their season around. It’s the kind of moment they know could last a lifetime.