LSU Basketball Continues Slide in AP Rankings, Still Highly Ranked in NET
LSU is in the midst of its worst stretch of the season but the sky isn't falling in. Now losers of three straight SEC games, the Tigers fell to No. 19 in the latest AP top-25 rankings.
It was an unsurprising six spot dip after convincing losses to both Alabama and Tennessee on the road with two of its key pieces being either out or hobbled by injury. The Tigers do remain in the top-10 of the NET rankings, currently in the No. 10 spot after being as high as No. 3 before the recent skid.
Sitting at 3-4 in conference play, it's going to take some help for LSU to get back into the SEC picture but landing a top four seed should be the ultimate goal. Will Wade has said that goal No. 1 for every team he's been a part of is to earn the double bye in the SEC Tournament, which goes to the top four seeds in the conference.
LSU has plenty of makeup work to do, starting with Texas A&M this week, a group that has started 4-2 in conference play and been one of the surprises in the conference. Getting guard Xavier Pinson back in the fold would obviously improve the chances of ending the three game losing streak exponentially but Wade remains firm that the Tigers won't rush the senior guard back until he's ready.
"We'll see. He ran a little bit at shoot around today but we'll see," Wade said.
Forward Darius Days' status will also be one to monitor as he turned that right ankle for the second straight game against Tennessee but was able to play through it with a noticeable limp. LSU simply can't afford any more hits to its rotation so proceeding with caution may be in the best interest with Days' injury.
