SportsLine.com Report
March 23, 2000

Sweet 16: Tigers succumb to Wisconsin's deliberate pace

LSU, which used its speed and frontline duo of Stromile Swift and Jabari Smith to advance into the Sweet 16, was ushered out of the tournament by a down-tempo Wisconsin team that frustrated the Tigers all night long.

LSU had only 14 points at halftime, and failed to crack 20 until nearly eight minutes were gone in the second half. The Tigers, who trailed by as many as 19 in the second half, cut their deficit to 47-38 with 2:39 left, but failed to get closer. Wisconsin won 61-48.

The 48 points were the fewest scored by LSU this season. The previous low was 57 in a loss to Florida in January.

Wisconsin scored the final 11 points of the first half to take a 22-14 lead. LSU went scoreless over the final 5:03 of the half.

Wisconsin took twice as many shots as LSU in the first half and the Tigers had as many turnovers as points. LSU finished with 23 turnovers to Wisconsin's nine.

The Badgers eliminated LSU despite missing 18 of their first 23 shots and shooting 38 percent. But while the Badgers were having trouble scoring in the game's first 15 minutes, LSU was having a difficult time just holding onto the ball.

Swift, who scored 12 points, finished with just five shots. Smith also had 12.

How They Got There

One of the nation's big surprises, Louisiana State earned a share of the Southeastern Conference title, won the Western Division outright and was then upset by Arkansas -- a surprise of a different kind -- in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Starting Lineup

• PG Torris Bright (6-4, 200, Fr.), 10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.5 apg
  He has averaged a team-high 33.2 minutes a game and has 132 assists and 105 turnovers to show for it, a remarkable assist-to-turnover ratio for a player who only tried to score in high school. His poise and ability to hit key shots have been invaluable.
• SG Lamont Roland (6-4, 205, Jr.), 11.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg
  Perhaps the best athlete on the team has sparkled the last month on both ends. He can drive to the hoop, pull up for a 3-pointer, and cover the opponent's best player.
• C Jabari Smith (6-11, 250, Sr.), 12.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.3 apg
  A talented big man who can handle the ball, shoot the trey, and hold his own defensively against stronger centers. The team's only senior, he has been willing to take a backseat offensively to Swift and let the game come to him.
• SF Brian Beshara (6-8, 220, Jr.), 11.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.8 apg
  A fierce defender who runs the floor well and can bang the boards. But LSU needs him to get untracked offensively to help out Swift and Smith inside. Hit a big shot in the first-round win over Southeast Missouri State.
• PF Stromile Swift (6-9, 225, So.), 16.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 0.9 apg
  Swift has elevated from up-and-comer to potential All-American. He's the highest-jumping 6-9 player you've ever seen, and averages nearly three blocks a game. He leads LSU in scoring and rebounding and is third on the team in steals (43).

Keys to Success

Obviously LSU is strongest up front, with the 6-9 Stromile Swift and 6-11 Jabari Smith working over foes. But LSU has had its best games when Beshara was hitting from the outside, something he hasn't done in almost a month.

Beshara has hit just two of his last 17 3-point shots. But when his outside game is on, LSU is not only getting the benefit of his 3-pointers, but the inside opens up even more for Swift and Smith.

A big cog has been junior guard Lamont Roland, who has accepted the role of stopper on defense. Roland has scored some big late-game points and can hit the 3-pointer. So can Bright, who averaged 33 points in high school before taking on the point-guard role. Bright has led LSU in minutes played (33.2) and his steady, unselfish play has made the Tigers' offense run smoothly all season.

The Coach

In just three seasons John Brady has gone from tiny Samford in Birmingham, Ala., where he beat LSU in his last season, to being SEC coach of the year.

After replacing Dale Brown at LSU, Brady immediately added top-notch assistants, hiring Idaho (and former Texas A&M) head coach Kermit Davis Jr. and UNC Charlotte assistant Butch Pierre. All three have Mississippi State ties: Davis' father was the longtime coach at State, Pierre played there and Brady twice coached there, first as a graduate assistant in the 1970s and then for eight years as an assistant in the 1980s.

They have recruited well and have employed two simple strategies, tough man-to-man defense and primarily a motion offense. However, this year Brady has allowed his players more freedom offensively, acquiescing to their talent and ability to get up and down the floor. That's a major concession for Brady, an admitted control freak who oversees every last detail of his program.

He's also up for a major raise and contract extension, the first because of his performance and the latter because LSU is in the second year of an NCAA probation that will allow Brady to sign just one player for next year. Brady went to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant at State and in his one season as an assistant to Tim Floyd at the University of New Orleans. But this is his first big dance as a head coach.

The Bench

The bench is also underrated, partially because coach John Brady continues to bemoan LSU's battle with NCAA-imposed sanctions that include scholarship limitations. But this season, LSU has used up to nine players and backup freshman point guard Collis Temple III, freshman forward Ronald Dupree and sophomore swingman Jermaine Williams have played big roles in most victories.

Temple has been able to give Bright a break at the point and has hit some big 3-pointers. Dupree has struggled at times offensively, but had impressive games against Arkansas (14 points, 16 rebounds) and Auburn (16 points, four rebounds), while Williams generally contributes valuable minutes on both ends.

Defense

LSU plays primarily a man-to-man set with an occasional switch to zone. The Tigers rarely press, but will sometimes spring a surprise. Brady preaches the details and has turned the Tigers into a very disciplined defensive teams no matter what set they opt for.