LSU Basketball Preparing for Another Heavyweight Fight in No. 16 Kentucky

The Tigers look to bounce back after their SEC opening loss in tonight’s matchup against a physically imposing Kentucky Wildcats squad. The Wildcats have come out the gate clicking to start the season, going 11-2 through their first 13 games, simply out rebounding their opponents at an incredible margin.

Head coach John Calipari has a different crew than his usual freshmen led group. With a handful of upperclassmen and transfers leading the way, this team has the experience to make a splash throughout their conference schedule and into tournament play.

Of the guys Calipari has brought to Lexington, West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe has been the most dominant, controlling the paint for the Wildcats with a whopping 15 rebounds per game. The second chance buckets Tshiebwe provides for Kentucky is the difference maker night in and night out, something LSU will need to keep in check to come out with a victory.

“Oscar’s just big and physical and just throws you out of the way,” head coach Will Wade said. “Goes and gets the ball and then he just finishes at the front of the rim. He averages six offensive rebounds per game. [Darius] Days and [Tari] Eason are the only two guys we got that average more than six rebounds per game total.”

It’s safe to say the key to tonight’s game will be controlling the glass and Wade wasn’t shy of his desire to win the rebounding battle. Facing a physically dominant paint presence like Tshiebwe is different than what the Tigers have seen this season with Wade praising the first-year Wildcat.

“[Tshiebwe] is the most effective rebounder in the country,” Wade said. “He’s the most effective offensive rebounder in the country. They’re a tremendous offensive rebounding team because of him, because of [Keion] Brooks.”

Going to war in the paint and managing that part of the game will be imperative, but the backcourt is another piece of the puzzle the Wildcats excel in. Led by projected lottery pick TyTy Washington and Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler, the two generate points in the blink of an eye while keeping opposing guards in check defensively.

“Washington’s going to be a lottery pick,” Wade said. “He can score at all three levels. Face threes, gets to the rim, really, really good mid-range… Wheeler does what he does. He’s second in the country in assists, he gets downhill… Gets them going in transition.”

The Tigers will have their work cut out for them against a fiery Kentucky team that is poised to make a run in SEC play this season. A blue blood program who is seemingly always reloaded each and every year, there’s excitement against a team of this caliber.

But handling the excitement is what’s most important and Wade is instilling that in his players.

“Just because you’re excited to play Kentucky doesn’t mean you’re going to play well against Kentucky,” Wade said. “Doesn’t mean you have the preparation to play well against Kentucky. It doesn’t mean you have the right inputs to put the right outputs against Kentucky. So that’s our worry about is making sure we get the right inputs into the balance.”

Coach Wade and this LSU group face a tremendous challenge against the Wildcats, but sticking to the game plan and matching Kentucky’s physicality will put them in position to bounce back in SEC play.