LSU’s Resume Might Be Better Than You Think…
Posted by Andrew Gripshover on January 7th, 2016LSU has suddenly gone from a team likely to miss the NIT to potentially the top dog in the SEC after knocking off the top two teams in the preseason SEC coaches poll. Everyone who was resigned to Ben Simmons having the most forgettable of one-and-done college careers is now again dreaming of him lighting up March Madness. Clearly no team did more for their NCAA Tournament profile over the past week than the Bayou Bengals, which added a top 15 RPI signature win (Kentucky) to a top 100 RPI road win (Vanderbilt). Granted, LSU’s 9-5 overall record with an RPI of #127 means there’s a lot more work ahead, but let’s take a deeper dive into the Tigers’ profile to date — it may not turn out to be as poor as it initially looks.
And just like that, LSU is right back in the national picture. (Getty)
- Houston might end up a “good” loss. The Cougars are now 13-2 and 3-0 in the American (having won at Temple on Saturday by a whopping 27 points), and it’s possible that No. 120 RPI Houston is the best team other than SMU in this league. But the key here is getting inside the top 100 of the RPI so that LSU’s 105-98 overtime defeat to the Cougars on December 13 won’t be classified as a “bad loss.” If Kelvin Sampson’s squad can continue putting together a great season, this loss will look increasingly better on the Tigers’ resume.
- Charleston might not be, either. The 9-4 Cougars are one of a number of teams that could have a breakout CAA season to make that loss look better over time. Despite all the hot takes in that hyperlink, the truth is that Charleston would actually be the best loss on LSU’s schedule as of today. There’s no shame in losing a true road game to a team that sits just outside of the top 50 in RPI, right? Well the Cougars are No. 55, just a few places ahead of…
- Wake Forest needs to be a bubble team, too. …the Demon Deacons, which come in at No. 60. That appears to be a legitimate rating given that Danny Manning’s team not only won in Baton Rouge but also beat Indiana and UCLA in Maui. However, Wake Forest also lost at home to 8-6 Richmond, was beaten handily by Vanderbilt and only beat Rutgers by a single point. There’s still an element of Jekyll and Hyde with the Deacs this season, but LSU needs Wake to hang around the top 50 in RPI and avoid sinking down into the triple-digits.
LSU fans will certainly be glued to the action when Oklahoma faces off against their hometown club. (USA TODAY Sports)
- Marquette keeps looking better… The Golden Eagles won at No. 8 Providence earlier this week and are now 10-2 since their one-point win over LSU in Brooklyn. At the time, Marquette had just lost its opener to Belmont and had been blasted in a home loss to Iowa. Two months later it now might be the hottest rising team in the Big East and a group that could keep getting better — making LSU’s November loss to them look correspondingly better — as the season progresses.
- There’s no shot at South Carolina in Baton Rouge… but two dates each with Florida and Texas A&M might be better. LSU goes to Columbia on February 10 but Frank Martin won’t have to bring his still-unbeaten Gamecocks (No. 29 RPI) to Baton Rouge this season, depriving the Tigers of a marquee win opportunity. The good news is that Texas A&M (No. 17 RPI) and Florida (No. 21 RPI) are home-and-homes, giving the Tigers plenty of other opportunities to impress. Two more games with RPI No. 53 Alabama as well as a rematch with Kentucky on Senior Day at Rupp Arena are also available.
- Oh yeah, there’s that Oklahoma game too. For some reason, the Big 12/SEC Challenge takes place on January 30 this season, and LSU has a golden goose of a quality win opportunity when Oklahoma comes calling. It’s difficult to imagine a team with wins over Kentucky AND Oklahoma missing the NCAA Tournament if it gets to 10+ wins in SEC play, but much of that analysis will depend on how the rest of the resume looks in March.
