FanNation

0x NBA/NFL Champion said 07/14, 06:32 PM
LSU Tigers;13-18

They have a great new coach. Trent Johnson was came from Stanford to help lead them back to the Final Four. Johnson coached Stanford to a 3 seed last year and a top ten ranking at one point. He is a very good coach, and will make a BIG impact at LSU.

They bring back PLENTY of players. They lost ONLY 2 guys. 6 OF THEIR TOP 7 scorers come back; led by Marcus Thornton, one of the more underrated guys in college basketball. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 boards and even 2 assists.

They also have a lot of what is a huge need: EXPERIENCE. Remember when LSU went to the Final Four? They still have not one, but TWO STARTERS. You better believe that those guys want to prove they still have it. Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple are two very good players who came back as seniors.

Yes, Randolph is gone. He didn???t lead the team in scoring, so they won???t miss that. He averaged just 1.2 assists, so that won???t be missed, either. In fact, this could be like Texas last year. The star freshman left, the team came together and had an even better season.

They have a top 18 recruiting class, led by a PF ranked #60 overall by ESPN to replace Randolph. 4 guys can contribute RIGHT NOW.

0x NBA/NFL Champion said 07/14, 10:49 PM
Good pick.

BC plays in the ACC. They have to compete with UNC, Duke, Clemson, Maryland, Wake, Miami, even VT, FSU and GT are competitive. By comparison, LSU has to deal with Tennessee, Vandy, UK and Florida. They also get Aubrun, UGA, Alabama and South Carolina. From top to bottom, the ACC is one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball. That's an advantage for LSU.

Thornton was 2nd in the SEC in scoring last year. Three of the top 25 rebounders are back. Johnson was second in blocks. Three of the top 16 in steals are back. LSU was the BEST FREE THROW SHOOTING TEAM last year, and we know how important those are.

Look what they have coming in. ESPN ranked, LSU has:

PF Grade: 89
SF Grade: 85
PG Grade: 77
C Grade: 77

BC has:

SG Grade: 87
SF Grade: 73
PF Grade: 40

I don't have to say their names, but you can see that LSU has 4 solid recruits coming in who can help out RIGHT AWAY. BC seems to have just 1.

Skinner isn't bad, but Johnson is no slouch. He took both Nevada and Stanford to the Sweet 16 and was +.500 at both schools.

They lost all of the supporting cast?

TWO STARTERS ARE BACK THIS YEAR! How many guys who started on a Final Four team does BC have?

0x NBA/NFL Champion said 07/15, 12:03 PM
They led the SEC in free throw %. My bad on the misunderstanding.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=264000031

That shows that BOTH TEMPLE AND MItCHELL STARTED IN THE FINAL FOUR. How many guys do BC have that played in the Final Four? Experience is key, which is an advantage for LSU.

BC has just one senior coming back. LSU has five. We both know how leadership plays big late in the season, which gives LSU an advantage with leadership.

Skinner is a good coach. But we saw what he did with BC last year, with him at the helm, they were under .500. Johnson was guiding Stanford to a top 10 ranking and the Sweet 16. He will come in and make a BIG DIFFERENCE FOR THE BETTER.

Bass, the PG signed a letter of intent. You know how schools do this stuff. But even if he doesn't play, the still have Temple, a three year starter who is good. They bring in NOT ONE, BUT TWO top 40 PF's. Warren and Graham can come in and replace what Randolph did last year.

Conference Strenghth- LSU
Experience- LSU
Leadership- LSU
Free Throws- LSU
Recruiting Class- LSU

With all of those, a coaching change for the better and players ready to win, LSU is more likely to go to the NCAA's than BC is.