The Memphis Tigers (1-0) will travel to Baton Rouge, Lousisiana to take on the Louisiana State Tigers in what will be Memphis’ first away game after defeating Tennessee Tech 76-61 at home to open the season. LSU (2-0) is currently No. 22 in the nation and comes off a 97-91 victory over University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
LSU traveled to Memphis last season and won 71-61, knocking down 13-26 of their three-point shot attempts. LSU head coach Will Wade is in his second season with the team, while Memphis let go of Tubby Smith and brought in Penny Hardaway as head coach.
LSU players to watch
Memphis will have to slow down LSU’s 6-foot-9 power forward Nazreon Reid. A five-star recruit out of Roselle, New Jersey, Reid currently leads LSU with 46 points after two games. Reid is a threat with the ball in his hands, as he has connected on 17-27 field goals for 63 percent and knocked down 5-11 shots beyond the arc for 45 percent, along with 13 rebounds.
Another player Memphis will have to monitor is guard Tremont Waters. Waters is coming off a big game over UNCG in which he totaled a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists.
Waters is not only a scoring threat but also has excellent court vision and knows where to find the open man, and he leads the team with 12 assists. He is also good defensively, as he has totaled the most steals for LSU with 11.
Fellow freshman forward Emmitt Williams has been solid for LSU. A five-star recruit, Williams collected 10 boards and 12 points in LSU’s season opener against Southeastern Louisiana. He currently has a team-high 15 rebounds.
Improvement for Memphis Freshmen
The Tigers had some shooting woes against TTUbut still managed to get the win. At LSU, Memphis will need to play better than they did in their first game in order to secure a win over one of the nation’s top programs, and it starts with the freshmen.
The freshman guards for Memphis struggled against TTU, connecting on 5-24 field goals and knocking down a single bucket on 14 attempted three-point shots. Collectively, the freshmen accounted for nine of the Tigers’ 13 assists and will need to carry over that teamwork to LSU.
There were some upsides for the freshmen as 5-foot-10 guard Alex Lomax displayed his versatility against TTU. Lomax had eight points, five rebounds, four assists along with two steals and a blocked shot. Lomax’s versatility will be needed against an LSU team full of play-makers.
Memphis’ seniors look to translate play
Forward Kyvon Davenport had a double-double against TTU, totaling 30 points and 10 rebounds. Davenport was 11-17 from the field for 65 percent and connected 2-5 attempts from beyond the arc for 40 percent.
Davenport’s shooting and rebounding will be essential against an LSU team that features both consistent shooters and guys that can go up and fight for rebounds.
Jeremiah Martin totaled 18 points along with four rebounds in his first game. Martin, a 6-foot-3 guard, will not only need to have a similar performance at LSU but must also continue to be a vocal leader for a youthful Tiger team.
Injury update
Senior forward Mike Parks was ruled out for both of the exhibition games but was available against Tennessee Tech, even though he did not play. At Monday’s press conference, Hardaway made it official Parks will play against LSU, but will not start. The Tigers will have the same starters they had the first game of the regular season.
Expectations
LSU will be an indicator of whether Hardaway has a good team or not. Against the No. 22 team, Memphis will need to be physical and out-rebound a team fluent in creating second-chance opportunities.
The Tigers should look for higher percentage shot opportunities, rather than throwing up threes in order to compete with an offensively dominant team like LSU.
Tiger men’s basketball head coach Penny Hardaway said he has not like the way his team has played against highly ranked opponents this year.
