LSU Basketball Coach Will Wade Previews SEC Opener Against Tennessee

LSU and Tennessee enter SEC play in very similar situations. Both teams have lost two of its last three games and lie at 8-4 on the year.

The Tigers are back to the style of basketball they want to play after a dud against East Tennessee State where the team allowed an inexcusable 19 offensive rebounds. In the loss to USC and win over Liberty, LSU coach Will Wade thinks the team found a winning formula but the question is can it be sustainable.

"We have to be able to keep it going. I feel like we’ve found a good formula, but can we sustain it on the road?" Wade said. "Can we sustain it against even more resistance than we’ve gotten? Can we sustain it against the physicality of Tennessee? That’s what we’ll find out on Saturday.”

LSU comes in with all five starters averaging double figures, senior Skylar Mays leading the way averaging 15.8 points a game. Sophomore forward Darius Days has been the team's most consistent force, averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a contest while shooting 76.3% inside the arc, fourth best in the nation.

One of the reasons LSU has dropped games like USC and VCU, where the team had leads late in the second half, has been the absentee need of a closer to finish off those one or two possession games. The Tigers are 0-3 this season in games decided by one or two possessions, a far cry from the 2018 team that went 13-4 in those crunch time situations.

That's what Wade and the coaching staff have been addressing since the team came back from Los Angeles after a disappointing 80-78 loss that slipped away late.

“Some of it’s a learned skill, but some of it’s who you are every day and what you do every day," Wade said. "We’re working on that. Like I said, I’ve got to put our guys who are our closers in better positions. We’ve got to have some different things. We’ve got to have some different wrinkles late in the game and I think we’ve gone about addressing that.”

The 2018 team had a clear closer with Tremont Waters and trying to key in on one or two guys right when the heart of the SEC schedule is on deck is not ideal. One guy who Wade could look at late is freshman forward Trendon Watford.

Watford over his last two games has left a significant mark, averaging 13 points and nine rebounds over the last two contests. Wade likes how the freshman has come along during this recent stretch, most notably his improved ferocity on the boards.

"He’s playing harder. He’s got a nose for the ball. He’s going to get the ball," Wade said. "He had that little spurt there in the Liberty game. He played well against Southern Cal. He’s coming on and now we’ve got to keep him consistent and keep him hungry and keep him urgent and keep him moving along the same path. He’s certainly coming into his own and is playing quite a bit better.”

Tennessee is also in a similar boat to LSU in regards to losing players from last year's tournament team. Two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams is no longer on the roster nor is Admiral Schofield or Jordan Bone.

Wade said while the roster looks different, a school like Tennessee will always be good because of the coaching the players have around them, led by Rick Barnes.

“They have some guys back. (John) Fulkerson’s a good player. (Yves) Pons has moved into a good role. (Jordan) Bowden was a good player for them," Wade said. "The way they play and as physical and tough as they are, they’re always going to be very, very good just because of how well coached they are and their style of play.”

The Tigers take on the Vols at 11 a.m. on Jan. 4 and will be broadcast on ESPNU.