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Get to Know: The #9 Seeded LSU Tigers

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The LSU Tigers finished the season will a record of 22-10 overall and finished 3rd in the SEC with a conference record of 11-7. LSU was considered one of the last few teams to get into the tournament leading into Selection Sunday, but apparently the NCAA Committee saw them as a stronger candidate for the dance than many media outlets. So lets delve into exactly who LSU is by recapping their season and giving some key stats.

Good Wins: 

The Tigers had three wins against RPI* top 50 teams this season.

  • @ West Virginia 74-73 (December 4th)
  • VS Georgia 87-84 (January 10th)
  • @ Arkansas 81-78 (March 7th)

Bad Losses: 

LSU had their share of bad losses this season as they lost 5 games to teams with an RPI lower than 100.

  • VS Clemson 64-61 (November 24th)
  • VS Auburn twice 81-77 (February 5th); 73-70 (March 7th)
  • @ Missouri 74-67
  • @ Mississippi State 73-67

Recent Form:

Over the last 12 games the Tigers have been a 500 club going 6 and 6. They were knocked out of the SEC Tournament by Auburn in OT. Even though their most recent loss was by a lowly Auburn team they did knock off Top 25 Arkansas on the road before losing in their first conference tournament game.

Summary: 

Throughout the season LSU has shown the capability to play with any team in the country as they have had three good wins against teams that are all in the field of 68. Another impressive feat for the Tigers is their road record. On the road LSU won 8 out of 11 games. They have also done a great job of winning close games. Many of their wins this season have been by a narrow margin, this fact alone will make them a difficult out! In their lone match up with undefeated Kentucky the Tigers only lost by 2 points. One of the major reason LSU was considered a bubble team is because they played a weak schedule. They finished the season with a strength of schedule of 97, and a non-conference strength of schedule of 182.

Team Statistics: 

  • Points Per Game: 73.7 (41st NCAA)
  • Rebounds Per Game: 39.2 (12th NCAA)
  • Assists Per Game: 15.7 (17th NCAA)
  • Field Goal %: 45% (77th NCAA)
  • Points Allowed Per Game: 67.7 (210th NCAA)
  • Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 27.1 (8th NCAA)
  • Blocks Per Game: 6.2 (7th NCAA)
  • Steals per Game: 7.3 (60th NCAA)

Individual Statistics: 

  • Jarell Martin #1 Forward (6-10 236 lbs.) 16.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG
  • Jordan Mickey #25 Forward (6-8 235 lbs.) 15.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG
  • Keith Hornsby #4 Guard (6-4 210 lbs.) 13.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG
  • Tim Quarterman #55 Guard (6-6 187 lbs.) 11.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG
  • Josh Gray #5 Guard (6-1 182 lbs.) 7.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG

Summary: 

Offense and rebounding are the strengths of the LSU Tigers. It is impressive that they have four players averaging double figures and a fifth player not far behind. By having a balanced attack LSU has been able to cause their opponents problems as they cannot simply key on one player. Offensively the Tigers like to get up and down the court. If you need proof of how athletic the Tigers are check out this video of transition buckets versus Florida this season. LSU will be extremely pumped to play against an ACC team in their opening game of the NCAA Tournament, in the regular season they only faced one ACC member in the Clemson Tigers. The number one reason why the Tigers will be a tough out is because of their front court. Martin and Mickey are the two cogs that will prove to give NC State all they can handle as they lead LSU in both PPG and RPG.  

 

* RPI: Rating Percentage Index is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. The higher the RPI   a team has the better.

 

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
9 years ago

Which ever team gets out to a quick start will break the will of the other.  Hopefully our three point shooting will not kill us early.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

PackJunky Well, honestly speaking if the Pack gets by the 1st tourney game can they really lay an egg? It’s only an egg if you really expected this team to make a deep run. I know this team has the potential to make a deep run but my realistic expectations are a 1st or 2nd round exit.  Because a few weeks prior to the end of regular season if someone had told me that this team would be in the NCAAs I would not have believed it. So anything past the 1st round at this point is just icing. To… Read more »

PackJunky
PackJunky
9 years ago

How can ANYONE make ANY prediction with ANY semblance of confidence for this team. They could lay an egg Thursday, they could lay an egg Saturday, they could lay an egg next week. I think one thing is almost certain, they WILL lay an egg between now and next week. Heres to blind hope… Go Pack!

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Other than State, I am looking forward to the following potential matchups:

wisconsin vs unc 
duke vs gonzaga
kentucky vs nd

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

If the Pack brings their A game then we can beat LSU, Vill, and Louisville. Can a Gottfried coach team beat an Izzo coached team? I don’t see it happening. I have the Pack either going out in round 1 if they play like they did against duke in the tourney or elite 8 if they play like they did in the many games leading up to the duke game.

If I am a top seeded team in the tourney, I would not want to see the Wolfpack on my bracket.

NC State Basketball

Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 tonight. Here’s a look at the Golden Eagles before tipoff.

Marquette is ranked 8th in the AP Poll.

They lost to UCONN 57-73 in the Big East Tournament Finals.

As a team, they shoot 48.2% from the field, which ranks 23rd nationally. Their Effective Field Goal Percentage is 55.5%, which ranks 15th.

Marquette ranks 15th in Assist/Turnover ratio, 26th in Scoring Margin, and 26th in Assists per game.

Junior Guard Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field and 41.4% from three.

Senior Guard Tyler Kolek averages 15.3 points and a team high 7.9 assists. He leads the nation in assists per game. Kolek shoots 49.7% from the field and 39.7% from three.

Senior Forward Oso Ighosaro (6’11”) scores 13.6 points per game, and leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. He shoots 58.1% from the field, which ranks 28th nationally.

Junior Forward David Joplin (6’8”) averages 11.0 points per game.

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NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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