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2008 LSU Basketball Predictions & Season Preview

Written October 17, 2008 by Luke Knight

Trent Johnson begins his first year at the helm of the LSU Tigers this season. In 2006, the Tigers were in the Final Four, but two straight seasons out of the playoffs cost John Brady his job. Last season, LSU was 13-18 and 6-10 in the SEC. Johnson won’t get his first full-fledged hands-on look at the Tigers until practice officially begins, but he has met the veterans in meetings and some individual workouts and has pored over video from last season to familiarize the new coach with the players. Johnson brings a team-first attitude to LSU, which will focus on defending, rebounding, taking care of the ball, and playing with a sense of urgency. The Tigers return nine veterans, five of which are seniors, and the healthy return of junior forward Tasmin Mitchell, who played just 66 minutes last season before an ankle stress fracture ended his season. The NCAA basketball odds makers agree that this should be a better team than last season’s Tiger squad, and BetUS has them at +200 odds to win the SEC West.

LSU’s frontcourt took a hit when Anthony Randolph bolted after one season in Baton Rouge, but the re-emergence of Tasmin Mitchell as an All-SEC caliber player will be the most important factor in the Tigers’ season. Mitchell averaged 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore and he is LSU’s most vocal and hard-nosed leader. Senior Chris Johnson blossomed into a solid defender in his junior season, which was interrupted by injuries. He showed flashes of being a reliable scoring threat also producing 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25 games while blocking 66 shots. Senior Quinton Thornton and sophomore Garrett Green will be the top big men off the bench. Thornton is a capable defender, but not a great scorer. Green was raw last year but he is big and athletic and will be counted on to make a bigger impact this season. Freshmen Delwan Graham and Storm Warren will compete for time at small forward. Both are rugged and athletic bangers who will contribute on defense and rebounding. Freshman Dennis Harris could also see time in the middle, but he may need a year to get better and bulkier before he is ready to step in.

Senior Marcus Thornton, a JuCo transfer last season, averaged 19.6 points per game, 2nd in the SEC, including 90 3-pointers. Thornton shouldn’t have to score as much under Johnson’s system, but if it is needed he had two 38-point games and one 36-point game last season. Senior Garrett Temple, a defensive specialist, has been a starter since his freshman year and will play major minutes this season. He has always been a team-first player and should fit right in to Johnson’s system. Temple will likely move away from the point guard role, which will fall to sophomore Bo Spencer and incoming freshman Chris Bass. Bass is a quick and athletic point guard, and the brother of former Tiger star Brandon Bass. Senior Terry martin and junior Alex Farrer will provide depth in the backcourt. Martin has 95 career 3-pointers, so he has been a scoring threat in the past.

Final Analysis

Trent Johnson certainly has his work cut out for him after last season, but he has veteran talent that should be receptive to change after the team posted its first losing season since 2000-2001. The LSU players will have to embrace Johnson’s style and perhaps more importantly develop team chemistry that they never exhibited last season if they want to be successful this season. The Tigers have the chance to compete for the SEC West Division. If they compete for the SEC West, they should pick up a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since they went to the Final Four in 2006. BetUS has LSU at +15000 odds of winning the NCAA Tournament this season, so this should be a team to keep your eye on throughout the season with your college basketball betting.