Will Wade Previews Matchup With Florida As LSU Looks to Stay Undefeated in Conference Play
When the latest top-25 rankings were released Monday morning, LSU basketball found itself lying on the outside looking in, receiving 83 votes, good for the 27th in the country.
Despite riding a six-game win streak and being the only remaining SEC team not lose a conference game, the Tigers still have some proving to do. So when coach Will Wade was asked about the standings, he revealed it's not surprising but at the same time said it doesn't matter at this point in the season.
"The poll came out? Shows how much I know," Wade said. "We stumbled a lot in the non-conference so that doesn't matter. There's a lot of season left and quite a few conference games left so we can't worry about any of that."
LSU welcomes a Florida team that's coming off its most impressive win of the season on Saturday, taking down No. 4 Auburn in decisive 69-47 fashion. Much like the Tigers, the Gators have flirted with the top-25, after a four loss non-conference schedule dropped them from a preseason top-10 ranking.
Wade said there's a reason Florida was ranked that highly to start the season and after a 4-1 start to its conference schedule, is starting to prove why it's one of the SEC's best in 2019.
"Everybody was inconsistent. It’s tough. What Coach (Mike) White’s done – he’s done a heck of a job. You look at their roster – they have (Kerry) Blackshear starting who’s a fifth year kid who just came over from Virginia Tech," Wade said. "They’re staring Omar Payne now who’s a big time, big time player and a great, great kid. It’s tough when you’ve got new pieces and to learn a different offensive system, defensive system. I think they’ve just grown as the year’s gone on."
Over its first five games in SEC play, the Gators lead the conference in scoring, headlined by Virginia Tech transfer Kerry Blackshear, who's averaging 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. Standing at 6-foot-10, keeping the fifth year collegiate player off the boards will be a tall task.
"One thing about them is that they do an excellent job – they’re going to find a weak spot where you haven’t prepared for," Wade said. "You’ve got to prepare for three or four different ball screen coverages. You’ve got to prepare for a bunch of different baseline out of bounds stuff that they run. Like I said, they hammered that on us last year here. You’ve got to prepare for all their weapons on offense."
All hands will have to be on deck including Emmitt Williams, Trendon Watford and Darius Days. Over his last three games, Days has racked up 14 fouls, fouling out in the waning minutes of each of the last two contests.
LSU simply needs him on the floor in crunch time and Wade said he and Days spent 'hours' looking at film, showing him where to pick his spots to be aggressive on the offensive glass.
"We looked at the film and we are working on it with him. He’s frustrated and should be frustrated but we will keep working through it and I think he will be fine," Wade said. "It hadn’t really crept up until the last few games so we will continue to work with him and watch film to show him some areas that he needs to pick his battles a little bit wiser. Is crashing this time worth the opportunity cost of picking up a foul? As he always does, he will respond well."
Wade is hoping guard depth, particularly in the play of Marlon Taylor and Aundre Hyatt, will continue to be an advantage Tuesday night. The Tigers were +16 with Taylor and Hyatt on the floor in the win over Ole Miss over the weekend.
The senior Taylor dropped 13 points and six rebounds in what was his best performance of the season while Hyatt added another six points.
"Well, I thought Marlon played the way he’s capable of playing. I think he was a lot more locked in," Wade said. "He was a lot more focused going into the game. I think he knew we needed him to play well and, quite frankly, we need him to play well for the next two and a half months – for as long as we keep playing. Marlon’s getting an hour, two hours of treatment every day just to put himself in a position to practice or to work out and then be able to play in games. I think a lot of it – he's healthy, he's fresh."
What Hyatt is able to provide LSU on the defensive side of the ball is what most impresses Wade about the freshman, saying he has a great 'feel' for the game when on the floor that helps him on both ends.
"He’s a two-way player; he plays both ends of the floor. He obviously came in as a big time offensive weapon, being able to shoot the ball and he’s shooting the ball a lot better," Wade said. "Defensively, he covers up a lot of mistakes; he’s always in the right place. We’re just a lot better team when he’s out there. The other thing he’s brought us is he’s big and he’s a lot more physical and tough than I probably gave him credit for in the preseason."
Tip-off from the PMAC is set for 6 p.m. with the game available on SEC Network.
