Video: LSU Basketball Players Recap Jamaica Trip and Talk Missouri State
Before LSU football plays its final game in Tiger Stadium, the basketball team will be back in action Friday night to take on Missouri State.
The Tigers are fresh off a trip to Jamaica where the team finished 1-1 with a devastating loss to No. 15 Utah State followed by a convincing win over Rhode Island. LSU coach Will Wade said the team finally started to pick up an identity on the trip, something the Tiger players whole heartedly agreed with when asked Wednesday.
"The thing I recognize with our team is if we just play team ball, everything else will fall into place," sophomore forward Darius Days said. "We're down a couple of men and aren't the biggest team so we have to use our quickness to win."
Senior guard Skylar Mays said it was a confidence boost for the team to to finish the trip off right with the 96-83 win over Rhode Island after blowing the double digit lead against Utah State.
"We just wanted to get back in the win column," Mays said. "I was excited by the way the guys responded to a tough loss. We have a long way to go but that was a big step for us. We just didn't let the game beat us twice."
When the Tigers played in Orlando at the beginning of the 2018 season, that wasn't the case as LSU followed up a close loss to Florida State with a blowout loss at the hands of Oklahoma State. Mays said Wade and the coaching staff mentioned what happened last year as a preaching point to avoid getting too down after a close loss.
With a four game home stretch between now and Christmas, LSU will be looking to build on the success in Jamaica, starting with Missouri State Friday night. Here's what the LSU players had to say about the trip and the upcoming schedule.
Skylar Mays (senior guard)
Mays on Jamaica trip and how the team moves forward after a confidence building win over Rhode Island
Darius Days (sophomore forward)
Days on why feeding the ball into the paint is the style LSU wants to play, Will Wade's energy
Emmitt Williams (sophomore forward)
Williams on Utah State loss and how he felt the team responded in the Rhode Island win
