Michigan Will Have Its Hands Full With LSU

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan handled Texas Southern with relative ease while LSU was taking care of St. Bonaventure. Now, the No. 1 Wolverines will square off against the No. 8 Tigers tomorrow evening for a ticket to the Sweet 16.

Most Michigan fans have likely only seen LSU sparingly, so there are a lot of questions surrounding the matchup. Glen West of LSU Country fielded five questions about the Tigers ahead of U-M's matchup with them.

1. Most of the pundits talk about the Tigers being wildly inconsistent — why is that?

LSU’s inconsistency stems from two key areas: rebounding and defensive effort.

It’s arguable that the Tigers’ talent starting with their “Big Four” of Javonte Smart, Trendon Watford, Cam Thomas and Darius Days is as good as any in the country. But the group as a whole has really struggled with consistency on the defensive end and lets small mistakes turn into big runs. That is something that’s been much better in recent weeks, starting with the play in the SEC Tournament where it took a final second rim out for the Tigers to lose to Alabama. LSU enters this game playing its most consistent ball of the season and getting it done on both ends of the floor.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of LSU?

Strengths of this team have to start with the offense. The Tigers are one of the premier teams in offensive efficiency this season, averaging 82 points a game, seventh in the country. Cam Thomas is top five in scoring and when this team gets out and runs, they’re tough to stop. Smart and Watford have improved as jump shooters and Days is the x-factor. When he scores in double figures, the Tigers are 20-1 on the season. He’s invaluable.

As for weaknesses, defensive rebounding and transition defense are the two biggies. Tigers have been better in both recently but will face a different kind of monster in Hunter Dickinson on Monday. Days is the enforcer on the boards and the Tigers will have to force the Michigan bigs out of the paint to have a chance on the glass

3. Who are the players that Michigan fans need to be very aware of on LSU’s roster?

We’ve covered the big names but a few under the radar names to watch are Aundre Hyatt and Josh Leblanc. Maybe outside of Thomas, Hyatt was the MVP of LSU’s first round game. He had a career night just doing all of the little things for this team. He finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. He’s absolutely a game changer for this team. With the length of Michigan, Leblanc will be vital as well because of his defensive versatility and prowess on the boards.

4. What kind of game do you expect in terms of pace and how it plays out? What kind of game does LSU want to play?

If you know LSU, you know the Tigers want to get it and run. LSU is one of the faster paced teams not just left in the tournament but in the country. They were taken a bit out of their comfort zone against St. Bonaventure early in their first round matchup, but flipped the switch for the final 30 minutes. With only 10 points through 10 minutes of play, the Tigers erupted for 66 points over the final 30 minutes. That just tells you what kind of burst they can go on when they're running up and down the floor.

5. Give us a prediction on the game tomorrow.

I think this is a very tight game wire to wire, but I’ll go Michigan 77-74 down the stretch. Tigers have the talent to win this game but have struggled down the stretch. A big, physical team like the Wolverines will have the advantage late and get a big bucket down the stretch.