Hot Topic: The main question entering Saturday’s afternoon clash between Tennessee and LSU was how the Volunteers were going to contain the Tigers’ big men.
LSU started two future NBA prospects in the frontcourt while the Vols started a former guard and foul-prone freshman in their frontcourt.
The answer became obvious early in the game: Tennessee had no answer for the LSU post players.
Jordan Mickey scored a game-high 20 points and collected 11 rebounds to propel LSU to a 73-55 victory over Tennessee.
His partner in the post, Jarell Martin, was hampered by foul trouble, but still posted 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Mickey and Martin’s influence didn’t just reside in the post. Their presence down low also opened opportunities on the perimeter for LSU’s backcourt.
In an attempt to limit the Tigers’ big mens’ touches in the paint, the Vols contracted their zone inside the 3-point arc. This tactic, though, sacrificed LSU open looks from behind the arc.
The Tigers made sure to capitalize, knocking down 7-of-10 shots from the 3-point in the first half.
“You have to pick your poison against that team,” head coach Donnie Tyndall said. “They average five-and-a-half made threes per game. Those two big guys, as we talked about before, are NBA players. So if you are going to shrink the floor, pack it in on them a little bit, you are going to give up a couple of jump shots.”
Mickey also made life miserable for Tennessee on the defensive end, rejecting seven Tennessee shot attempts for the game.
The 6-foot-8 Dallas, Texas, native also influenced the Vols to alter their shots close to the rim in the first half.
“We started double-pumping balls, playing off-balance,” Tyndall said. “(We were) looking for the shot blocker, instead of just exploding to the rim, trying to finish.”
Spotlight: It was just last summer when Derek Reese wanted to be a player who just lived on the perimeter.
Six months later, the Orlando, Florida, native battled down low against two of the best post players in the SEC.
Reese was one of the few bright spots for the Vols in their loss against the Tigers, scoring 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, and snatching five rebounds.
Reese remained aggressive throughout the game, displaying no signs of fear against the Tigers’ post players.
Reese assisted in sending Martin to the bench early with foul trouble when he drove from the top of the key to the basket, making the basket and drawing the foul against Martin.
“Derek (Reese) is one of those guys once you get his confidence up he can be really good,” Moore said. “It’s just all about staying in the gym and continuing to get better. But I feel like if he keeps working on his game, he can do some really good things.”
The Other Guys: Keith Hornsby finished second on the team in points scored with 16 and his hot start from the perimeter helped establish LSU’s dominance.
Outside the Box Score: Tennessee’s 73-55 loss to the Tigers was its first of the season to drop when Reese scores in double-figures.
By the Numbers:
4: Four LSU players played over 35 minutes.
8: Freshman guard Detrick Mostella scored eight points as his highest point total in SEC play.
14.3: Tennessee shot 14.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.
