I'm in Baton Rouge right now and the tiger fans seem to think they can knock off Texas too. They think they're the best team in the country because they beat a Duke team that played poorly. So, what's the concensus on clutchfans? Who's gonna win this one? Side note: Did anyone noticed how many guys got into the lineup for Texas against West Virginia? And they all seemed to be contributing. Mike Williams has gone from horrible-all-year to bench allstar. Where did that come from? Even JD Lewis got into the mix. This team seems to have the depth that a lot of teams talk about having.
This should be a very interesting game, both LSU and Texas have the bigs inside to make it a very competitive game. LA and Thomson are gonna be battling it out in the paint, should be a great game. I think Texas takes it, supposedly LSU loves to play the zone which should open up some 3-pt looks for Gibson, Kenton, and Abrams. If the guards can hit the shots like they did vs. NCst, it should be a win.
Depends if Gibson decides to join the party. And Buckman, for that matter. We now have a good bench, but two of our starters decided to start sucking the last few weeks. LSU is one of the few teams that probably has the inside game to play with us. So it will come down whether our guards can produce anything.
The reverse could also be true. Texas has size, athleticism, and depth on the front line that can overwhelm almost every opponent they play. LSU is a rare exception to that rule. LSU's weakness is defending quick, playmaking, small guards... and it's no secret that the Texas backcourt hasn't showed up in all its games this year. The "perfect matchup" against LSU would be someone like Villanova, imo, certainly not Texas. I'm a "t-shirt fan" of both schools. And honestly, it kinda sucks... I'm the kind of fan that likes to feed off of disliking the opponent, and I can't do that in this game. So I'm a little subdued in my analysis of this game. But, having watched both teams all year long and watched every game of both of them in the tournament, I'm taking... LSU. Barely. I think both teams front lines are outstanding (although different styles), and the difference comes in whose backcourt has the slightly better day. I trust LSU's senior guard Darrel Mitchell just a bit more than I do Gibson, and as a result, I have a slight lean to the Tigers.
Ummmm, If the Tigers bring the same defensive intensity to the Longhorns that they brought to Duke, the Horns are in for a tough time. LSU did a tremendous job of cutting off dribble penetration, and kept forcing the ball out of the Duke player's hands when Duke wanted to slow it down a little bit. The Aldridge Thomas matchup will be fun to watch. I would think Buckman and Davis are going to be matched up leaving Thomas defending Aldridge.
For those who didn't see it or the others that want to watch it again...and again...and again. Paulino's Game Winner
I go to A&M so even looking through my maroon glasses I don't see how LSU can beat Texas. It seems like Texas is really peaking at the right time.
The one thing about this team is that we've won the game w/o any type of help from Buckman, the guy was our workhorse during the season and he has completely disappeared. Same as Gibson, he did play well vs. NCst. but he hasn't been that much of a factor. To win against LSU or the rest of the games, we're really gonna need Gibson to step up. Mike Williams has been playing very good minutes which really helps w/ Buckman's poor play. But our depth at guard is Abrams, with the zone D the Tigers like to play, hopefully the guards will bring their A-game.
if our guards shoot like they did against penn and wvu, lsu will win. if they shoot like they did against nc state, UT will win. hopefully after the horrible shooting day outside (on pretty open shots) we're due for another good game.
LSU definitely has the horses to beat UT, especially if Abrams plays like a turnover machine again. Instead of just a change of possession, TOs against LSU will lead to slam dunks. If Big Fatty stays out of foul trouble, UT has nobody who can come close to defending him. He's the only player I've ever seen outmuscle Shelden Williams. Remember also Aldridge won't be guarded by the slow-footed Pittsnogle. That turnaround may get stuffed a couple of times. Gibson, Paulino & Abrams decide this game. If they don't play well, UT has no chance. If they play well and Aldridge gets a double-double, slight edge to UT because PJ Tucker is money. If LSU brings it's "A" game and doesn't black out for 10 minutes during the game (like they did against Duke), they will beat UT by at least 10-15 points.
Hopefully LSU wins. It should be a great game because both teams are similar in many ways. Both teams have great front courts and average backcourts. Tyrus Thomas and LaMarcus Aldridge are studs, and Big Baby Davis and PJ Tucker just get the job done. Daniel Gibson has been a huge disappointment and LSU lost starting point guard Tack Minor for the season. Who ever wins this game will lose to the Memphis-UCLA winner IMO.
i'm a longhorn and i'm picking lsu to win. too much athleticism for texas. of course, when 3:40pm comes around, i'll be cheering my lungs out for the horns. if texas wins this one, i say they win the next one, too, if it's against ucla. i think memphis will win against texas if they beat ucla. if lsu beats texas, i think they go to the final 4 regardless of who wins the ucla/memphis game. it's all about the matchups at this point.
There's been a lot of emphasis on the type of defense that LSU runs, but Texas also has shown to have great defense throughout the whole year, holding opponent's to an average of 57.3 points/game. Not to say that they will hold LSU to that low of a number, but I look for UTEX to change defenses and give LSU different looks. Buckman will supposedly be guarding Big Baby Davis initially, but I think that different players will also man up on him. Texas also has a tremendous 2-3 zone that bogs down the paint and it's only weakness is the 3 point shot. Besides Darnell Mitchell I don't think LSU has a credible 3 point shooter. Texas wins with solid front court play and just enough points production from the backcourt of Gibson, Paulino and Abrams. UTEX 72- LSU 68.
I don't hang out on any college hoops boards, so I'm wondering one thing.... Is it just me, or does Daniel Gibson really STINK? I hate the way he plays. He can score at times, but in general, he has no idea what to do when he has the ball. Some guys hurt their team by dribbling the clock down, but Gibson is one step behind them because he just stands 20 feet beyond the 3 point line. When Abrams gets a pass from Gibson, he can usually get the ball into the post within a couple seconds. Today, when he had the ball in OT, he wasted about 10 seconds on a critical possession, which led to a turnover. His shooting is not just streaky, it completely disappears for multiple games at a time. He also rarely makes an effort to beat his man off the dribble. Add to that, the bigger the game, the worse he plays.
Gibson was one of the few starters who actually stepped up this game. However I do agree with the your general criticism of him. I definately thought he would be far better than he is right now.
Texas losing messed up my bracket a little bit, but I do like Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis so I'm not too upset.
