One way or another, LSU will trot five players out to start the 2007 EA Sports Maui Invitational.
The Tigers (2-0) tangle with Oklahoma State (1-1) at 4 p.m. CST today at the Lahaina Civic Center in the second game of the four-game first round.
With two players out for sure (Quintin Thornton, Dameon Mason) and versatile junior swingman Tasmin Mitchell ailing with a sore heel and ankle and limited in practice since LSU arrived in Hawaii, it?s conceivable the Tigers could start a third different lineup in as many games this season.
Should Mitchell be limited or out of action, LSU will play with eight scholarship players ? one who hasn?t played a minute yet this season ? and a walk-on.
?We look like a M*A*S*H unit,? Tigers coach John Brady said. ?All of a sudden we don?t have enough to practice. ? It?s made practice a little difficult, but our players have responded well.?
LSU will have to respond well and ratchet up its performance level against the Cowboys.
Like the Tigers, OSU is in a reloading mode with seven newcomers this season.
Second-year coach Sean Sutton is following a similar path as Brady and has converted the defensive-minded, halfcourt-oriented Cowboys into more of an up-tempo team.
The results have mixed for Oklahoma State: A lopsided victory against Prairie View A&M (104-48) and a stunning road loss at North Texas (82-73).
Oklahoma State has launched 54 3-point attempts in its two games, hitting 20 of them (37 percent).
?We?ve got a great challenge in front of us,? said Sutton, who played point guard for his father and college coaching legend, Eddie Sutton, at both Kentucky and Oklahoma State. ?Coach Brady?s teams always play extremely hard. They?ve got a great player in Tasmin Mitchell.
?They?ve got one of the best freshmen in Anthony Randolph. Right now we are a team that is probably one of the youngest in college basketball. We?ve got good guards who if they shoot the ball well, we will have a chance.
?We are anxious to see how we do against a good LSU program.?
The Tigers are in need of a similar barometer.
LSU produced two victories against Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State despite lackluster performances.
Randolph (15.5 points per game, 10 rebounds per game) and junior-college transfer Marcus Thornton (25.5 points per game) were highlights, but struggles on defense and in rebounding left Brady grumpy before his team departed for the Aloha State.
Now, after three days of practice without Mitchell, Brady is eager to see if the Tigers have made any more steps in the right direction.
?We?re going to have to take care of the basketball, handle some defensive pressure and rebound the ball because those are the fundamentals that Oklahoma State believes in,? Brady said. ?If we can?t do that, it will be a long game for us.?
The winner of today?s game advances to face the Marquette-Chaminade winner at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The loser will take on the Marquette-Chaminade loser at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Loose balls
The Tigers and Cowboys meet for just the third time, all at neutral sites ? twice in New Orleans and once in Tulsa. This is the first time Brady and Sean Sutton have squared off, but the LSU coach did beat Eddie Sutton, 63-53 at the 1999 Sugar Bowl Classic. ? Oklahoma State assistant coach James Dickey was on the short list of potential coaches former LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean interviewed to replace former coach Dale Brown in 1997. Dickey was the head coach at Texas Tech at the time. He was with the Red Raiders for 10 years before getting fired in 2001 and replaced by Bob Knight. ? LSU recruited two of the Cowboys current freshmen: Guard James Anderson and forward Martavius Adams. Oklahoma State also made a run at Thornton. ? The five players in LSU?s starting lineups measure 398 inches, while Oklahoma State?s opening quintet comes in at 396 inches. That makes the Tigers and Cowboys two of the tallest starting units in the country. ? The Cowboys are 7-6 against this year?s Maui field.
The Tigers (2-0) tangle with Oklahoma State (1-1) at 4 p.m. CST today at the Lahaina Civic Center in the second game of the four-game first round.
With two players out for sure (Quintin Thornton, Dameon Mason) and versatile junior swingman Tasmin Mitchell ailing with a sore heel and ankle and limited in practice since LSU arrived in Hawaii, it?s conceivable the Tigers could start a third different lineup in as many games this season.
Should Mitchell be limited or out of action, LSU will play with eight scholarship players ? one who hasn?t played a minute yet this season ? and a walk-on.
?We look like a M*A*S*H unit,? Tigers coach John Brady said. ?All of a sudden we don?t have enough to practice. ? It?s made practice a little difficult, but our players have responded well.?
LSU will have to respond well and ratchet up its performance level against the Cowboys.
Like the Tigers, OSU is in a reloading mode with seven newcomers this season.
Second-year coach Sean Sutton is following a similar path as Brady and has converted the defensive-minded, halfcourt-oriented Cowboys into more of an up-tempo team.
The results have mixed for Oklahoma State: A lopsided victory against Prairie View A&M (104-48) and a stunning road loss at North Texas (82-73).
Oklahoma State has launched 54 3-point attempts in its two games, hitting 20 of them (37 percent).
?We?ve got a great challenge in front of us,? said Sutton, who played point guard for his father and college coaching legend, Eddie Sutton, at both Kentucky and Oklahoma State. ?Coach Brady?s teams always play extremely hard. They?ve got a great player in Tasmin Mitchell.
?They?ve got one of the best freshmen in Anthony Randolph. Right now we are a team that is probably one of the youngest in college basketball. We?ve got good guards who if they shoot the ball well, we will have a chance.
?We are anxious to see how we do against a good LSU program.?
The Tigers are in need of a similar barometer.
LSU produced two victories against Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State despite lackluster performances.
Randolph (15.5 points per game, 10 rebounds per game) and junior-college transfer Marcus Thornton (25.5 points per game) were highlights, but struggles on defense and in rebounding left Brady grumpy before his team departed for the Aloha State.
Now, after three days of practice without Mitchell, Brady is eager to see if the Tigers have made any more steps in the right direction.
?We?re going to have to take care of the basketball, handle some defensive pressure and rebound the ball because those are the fundamentals that Oklahoma State believes in,? Brady said. ?If we can?t do that, it will be a long game for us.?
The winner of today?s game advances to face the Marquette-Chaminade winner at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The loser will take on the Marquette-Chaminade loser at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Loose balls
The Tigers and Cowboys meet for just the third time, all at neutral sites ? twice in New Orleans and once in Tulsa. This is the first time Brady and Sean Sutton have squared off, but the LSU coach did beat Eddie Sutton, 63-53 at the 1999 Sugar Bowl Classic. ? Oklahoma State assistant coach James Dickey was on the short list of potential coaches former LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean interviewed to replace former coach Dale Brown in 1997. Dickey was the head coach at Texas Tech at the time. He was with the Red Raiders for 10 years before getting fired in 2001 and replaced by Bob Knight. ? LSU recruited two of the Cowboys current freshmen: Guard James Anderson and forward Martavius Adams. Oklahoma State also made a run at Thornton. ? The five players in LSU?s starting lineups measure 398 inches, while Oklahoma State?s opening quintet comes in at 396 inches. That makes the Tigers and Cowboys two of the tallest starting units in the country. ? The Cowboys are 7-6 against this year?s Maui field.
