Both LSU and Louisiana Tech are off to 2-0 starts to the season with decisive victories.
But both teams will seek improvement Monday night when they square off in Baton Rouge, La.
The Tigers have won their games by an average of 42 points, including a 92-51 home victory against Texas Southern on Friday night.
“We did what we needed to do to win, but certainly we need to play cleaner,” LSU head coach Will Wade said, adding that the Bulldogs will be the best of the Tigers’ first three opponents.
The Monday game will conclude a three-game homestand that began with a 100-57 victory against LSU New Orleans.
Up next will be much tougher competition, with LSU set to meet perennial NCAA Tournament team Gonzaga on Saturday in Spokane, Wash.
LSU made just 12 of 50 3-pointers (24%) in their opening week. Still, Wade said he believes the Tigers have enough good shooters to be an effective team from beyond the arc.
“(Most) of them were really good shots,” Wade said. “So we’ve got to step up and knock them down. I think we have great shooters; we just haven’t made them.”
Wade hasn’t been satisfied with his team’s foul shooting either – 30-of-45 (66.7%).
“It’s just not sustainable how we’re playing,” he said.
One thing that has pleased Wade is the play of point guard Donovan Dent, who has 20 assists and no turnovers. LSU has six players averaging double figures in scoring.
Louisiana Tech forward Braylon Wenger, the team’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game, had a similar evaluation of his team’s most recent performance. His criticism came despite the Bulldogs setting a school record for fewest points allowed in their home arena in a 76-17 thrashing of Division II Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday night.
“It’s a good win,” Wenger said, “(but) we could have had more intensity on defense. Overall, we executed the game plan we’ve been practicing. We had 23 assists and that shows that we are playing for each other and not for ourselves.”
Louisiana Tech, which defeated visiting Kent State 85-75 in its season opener, will be playing away from home for the first time.
–Field Level Media
