After the waning seconds had ticked off the clock, the emotions that LSU and Tennessee displayed following their contests on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, could not have been any more different.
Robert Hubbs’ buzzer-beating layup at the end of regulation helped the Volunteers erase a five-point deficit with 15 seconds remaining and sent them to overtime, where they eventually completed their 76-73 come-from-behind victory against Vanderbilt.
On the other hand, LSU watched their final shot clang off the rim, sealing a 71-69 loss to the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats after the Tigers had led for seven of the final eight minutes.
But as the two squads prepare to face off inside Thompson-Boling Arena, Donnie Tyndall does not believe that any of those emotions will play a role Saturday.
“I think it wipes away once you start the game,” the first-year Tennessee head coach said. “If we happen to be in another tight game, maybe we’ll be a little more poised and composed like we were late (against Vanderbilt).
“But I think once the ball is tipped up, all that stuff goes outside the window. It’ll be the team that is most excited and ready play (that’ll win), and it’s a big game for both teams, so I’m pretty sure both teams will be excited and ready to go.”
Unlike recent contests, the Vols will once again be faced with the dilemma of stopping LSU sophomore forwards Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin.
In 23 games this season, Mickey leads the Tigers in scoring, averaging 17 points per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor. On the defensive end, the 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward leads the SEC in blocks per game at 3.7.
Not far behind Mickey, though, is Martin.
While playing 35.1 minutes per game, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Baton Rouge, Louisiana native is averaging 16.2 points per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC right behind his frontcourt counterpart.
Together, the duo also make up the best rebounding duo in the nation, combining to corral 19.8 rebounds per game. In the conference, Mickey (10.8 rpg) and Martin (9 rpg) sit second and third in rebounds per game, behind Auburn’s Cinmeon Bowers, who gathered eight rebounds against the Vols on Jan. 31.
“We know that Jarell and Mickey are very good down low,” junior forward Armani Moore said. “They are very good at what they do. We know they are really some rebound hogs. Most importantly for us, is going to be our ability to box out and focus on what we have to do on the defensive side of the ball.”
But while Mickey and Martin present a matchup problem for the Vols, who rank last in rebounds per game in the SEC, Tennessee (14-9, 6-5 SEC) does have history on its side.
Not only have the Vols won six straight against LSU (17-7, 6-5) — UT’s last loss against the Tigers was a 79-73 defeat in Knoxville on Jan. 28, 2009 — but Saturday’s contest will also mark the fifth time in which Tyndall has played a program that he has previously coached at.
In those past four matchups, Tyndall is 3-1 against the teams that he had earlier coaching stops at.
From 1997-2001, Tyndall acted as an assistant coach for then-LSU head coach John Brady. In those four years, the Tigers went a combined 62-55, including a 28-6 record in the 1999-2000 season in which LSU finished as a top-10 team after making it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament as a four-seed.
“I was there for four years and had some great times,” Tyndall said. “There are some great people down there. It’s my second favorite city that I’ve ever lived in behind Knoxville.
“I don’t want to say it’ll be more important, but it’ll be a little more special just because I have so many friends still down in Baton Rouge.”
One of those friends is current LSU head coach Johnny Jones, who was an assistant for the Tigers under then-LSU head coach Dale Brown before Tyndall arrived in Baton Rouge.
“He’s a legend down there,” Tyndall said. “I’ve known him for years. He’s a great guy and he does a great job of coaching and recruiting, and he certainly has that LSU program heading in the right direction.”
Tipoff between the Vols and Tigers is scheduled for 4:02 p.m. EST and can be seen on the SEC Network.
How they match up
LSU:
Scoring Offense: 74.2
Scoring Defense: 67.8
Field Goal %: .456
3-Point % .329
Rebound Margin: +3.5
Assists Per Game: 15.5
Blocks Per Game: 6.4
Steals Per Game: 7.7
Turnover Margin: -1.1
Tennessee:
Scoring Offense: 64.6
Scoring Defense: 63.2
Field Goal %: .435
3-Point %: .347
Rebound Margin: +0.8
Assists Per Game: 11.1
Blocks Per Game: 3.8
Steals Per Game: 7.9
Turnover Margin +2.5
Who to watch for:
Jordan Mickey 17.0PPG 10.8RPG BPG 3.7 Field Goal % .527
Jarell Martin 16.2PPG 9.0RPG 2.0APG Field Goal % .490
Keith Hornsby 12.7PPG 4.4RPG 2.0APG Field Goal % .412
Last Meeting:
Jan. 7, 2014, in Baton Rouge, La.
Vols, 68-50
