Josh Gray Gets LSU Off to Big Start in Critical Week
Posted by Greg Mitchell on December 4th, 2014Johnny Jones didn’t try to hide how important this week is for LSU when asked about Jordan Mickey missing last Saturday’s win over McNeese State. “Jordan is fine. If he was needed tonight, he would have been available, but he had treatment that past couple of days. We wanted to make sure that we allowed the process to take place there,” Jones said. Translation: we can win this game without Mickey, and we darn well need him ready for next week’s schedule. This was a calculated risk by Jones. UMass and West Virginia loomed, presenting LSU with a golden opportunity to wash away early season losses to Old Dominion and Clemson. The Tigers needed Mickey in the lineup this week, but a slip-up against McNeese State would have been hard to recover from. Jarell Martin did his part by carrying the Mickey-less Tigers to that win on Saturday, and Jones’ gamble paid off with an 82-60 win against UMass (KenPom #59) on Tuesday night.
Josh Gray led LSU to a big win over UMass with 25 points. (nola.com)
Star of the game. The distinction has to go to Josh Gray, who poured in 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three (he came into the game only 2-of-8 on the season). He also added five assists and four rebounds, but turned the ball over seven times. Two offensive possessions stand out for me. With around two minutes left in the first half, UMass’ Cady Lalanne made a contested basket inside to cut a 15-point LSU lead down to 11. A few stops and a basket or two and the Minutemen would have had some momentum going into halftime. Gray, however, immediately came downcourt and a hit a three to prevent the possibility of a half-closing run. He squashed UMass’ momentum in the second half too. The Minutemen had pulled to within 10 points on a three-point play by Lalanne, but Gray went on a 6-1 run by himself to ultimately put the game out of reach. Mickey had another great game (16 points, 10 rebounds) but he was locked in a physical battle defending Lalanne all night, holding the UMass senior to 6-of-15 shooting from the floor. Gray’s ability to carry the offense was that much more important when LSU’s star had to expend so much effort on the other end of the court. He certainly doesn’t have to score 20 points each night, but if he can build on this performance and become a reliable offensive threat from the outside, the Tigers will have three legitimate scoring options to really put the pressure on opposing defenses.
Stat of the game. You knew the Minutemen would want to play this game at a fast pace, and that didn’t phase a Tigers team whose offense is centered around its frontcourt. LSU ended the game with 82 possessions, and it seems the quicker the pace, the better for Jones’ squad. Mickey and Martin are athletic and versatile enough to run the floor, and the style fits well with point guard Tim Quarterman playing alongside Gray and Keith Hornsby. In fact, LSU’s loss to Clemson was at the slowest pace (67 possessions) the Tigers have played all year. Their offense wasn’t ultra-efficient on Tuesday (0.99 points per possession), but this team is still a work in progress as Gray and Hornsby adjust to their first season playing under Jones. The big downside to all that running? Jones essentially rolled with a six-man rotation in a game that really mattered, and he’ll need some additional depth if he truly wants to rev the engines.
What’s next. The Tigers get their shot at stopping Juwan Staten (15.1 points per game) and the Mountaineers (7-0, KenPom #25) when they visit West Virginia tonight. Even though it’s only early December, this game might be the Tigers’ best opportunity at a marquee win outside of a home game against Kentucky and road game at Arkansas. Such is life in the SEC, where the middling quality of so much of the league’s members puts added pressure on teams to win these resume-enhancing early season games.
