LSU and DePaul will look to stamp a successful holiday weekend on Saturday night when they face off in the Emerald Coast Classic final in Niceville, Fla.
DePaul (5-2) earned its first power conference victory of the season on Friday in a 75-61 win over Georgia Tech in the semifinals of the four-team bracket. The triumph also marked the Blue Demons’ first non-conference win over a power 5 team since beating Louisville in December 2023.
“I think as much as anything, I think they learned they can do it,” DePaul coach Chris Holtmann said of the team’s first marquee win of the season. “They can do it against a good defense. I thought our defensive staff’s game plan was outstanding with the job that those guys did in preparing our guys for what we were going to see.”
DePaul outscored Georgia Tech 50-29 in the second half, with Layden Blocker finishing with a team-high 18 points and defensive-minded guard Brandon Maclin chipping in a season-high 16.
“I’m understanding the value of having someone like Brandon on your team every year,” Holtmann said of the Radford transfer. “He’s so valuable. His leadership, his voice, is constant. You just felt his competitiveness the entire 40 minutes tonight. When we were down, when we were up, you just really felt it. He’s really important to our group.”
LSU (6-0) likely will face its toughest test of the young season on Saturday night. The Tigers breezed past their first five home games against subpar competition before earning a solid 71-62 win over Drake on Friday.
Coach Matt McMahon’s team shot just 26.3% (5-for-19) on 3-point attempts but picked up an important win before the schedule ramps up. After LSU faces its first power conference opponent in DePaul, the Tigers will play Boston College, No. 20 Texas Tech and SMU.
“We’ve got a fun team,” McMahon said. “Our guys played their tails off (on Friday). I wish we would’ve played better offensively, but you’re never going to question the effort, the energy, the intensity and togetherness of the group.”
Mike Nwoko’s average of 18.2 points per game leads LSU, while Dedan Thomas Jr. adds 14.8.
–Field Level Media
