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#24 LSU Tigers
Southeastern
Conference
2004-05: 20-10, 12-4,
1st West
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
The Tigers ended
the season with a disappointing loss in the first round of the
NCAA Tournament at the hands of UAB. Prior to that,
LSU’s only
loss since mid February was the SEC Tournament Final overtime
loss to Kentucky. LSU was on a hot streak and a popular pick to
win a few games. Even with Brandon Bass gone, if the Tigers pick
up where their late season run left off, LSU will be an
extremely dangerous squad.
Who’s Out:
Brandon Bass left early for the NBA after leading LSU with 17.3
points and 9.1 rebounds per game. His absence will leave depth a
major issue in the frontcourt. Antonio Hudson started all 30
contests and was one of the main threats for John Brady’s squad
from beyond the arc. The guard averaged 13.1 points and 1.9
assists per contest. Xavier Whipple proved to be a nice option
off the bench during his senior campaign in Baton Rogue.
Who’s In:
Tasmin Mitchell will try to make it
three conference freshmen of the year honors in a row for LSU.
The 6-7, 236 pound Denham Springs, Louisiana product can play
either forward spot effectively. Mitchell will bang it inside
and step outside and hit the long ball. Power forward Magnum
Rolle needs to add some strength, but the 6-10, 200 pounder can
run the floor very well. The Bahamas native has continued to
improve recently and will see minutes as a freshman. Fellow
power forward Kentrell Gransberry will use his experience to get
the inside track on the starting job. Gransberry spent the last
two seasons at San Jacinto (CA) Community College where he
averaged a double-double last year. Chris Johnson, a 6-11
center, will add more depth to the frontcourt, but will need
some time to develop. Ben Voogd and Alex Farrer will add depth
to the backcourt and redshirt freshmen forwards Tyrus Thomas and
Garrett Temple will shore up the frontcourt.
Who to Watch:
With Brandon Bass gone, the
frontcourt falls in the hands of Big Baby Glen Davis. The 6-9,
310 pound forward averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds as a
freshman last year and will only get better. The reigning SEC
Freshman Player of the Year is surprisingly quick for his size
and will make everybody forget about Bass.
Projected
Conference Rank:
Tack Minor won’t be eligible for a
little while due to academics, so the point guard spot will be
shaky early in the season. That won’t make much of a difference
with capable replacements available. The depth will be an issue
early on, but the newcomers are talented enough to know their
roles once the madness rolls around. A 2nd place
finish in the SEC won’t be easy, however the Tigers have the
talent to stay in the top 25 all year long.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Tack Minor, Junior,
Guard, 10.8 points per game
Darrel Mitchell,
Junior, Guard, 9.4 points per game
Tasmin Mitchell,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Kentrell Gransberry,
Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Glen Davis, Sophomore,
Forward, 13.5 points per game
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