After coming up huge once again for the Tigers in two wins last week over Florida and the first at Kentucky in 20 years, Marcus Thornton was awarded SEC Player of the Week for the 2nd time this year.  He scored 32 points, had 5 assists and 5 rebounds against the Gators at home on ESPN and had 23 points (15 in 2nd half), 9 rebounds, and 4 assists Saturday in Lexington on CBS.  His averages for the week:  27.5 ponts, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. 

One of the assists led to the game winning shot from Tasmin Mitchell against Kentucky.  Thornton was the decoy and dribbled off Tasmin’s pick, attracting two defenders, leaving Mitchell open for the three pointer.

Thornton is doing it all for LSU this year including shooting 40% three pointers and 75% free throws, while only sitting for less than 9 minutes a game.  There is no doubt that he leaves it all out on the floor each night and now the nation is starting to learn who he is after the two performances that earned him this honor we on national TV.  As posted before, Thornton is the same height and build as a few NBA players you might know….. Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd….  Anyway, since Thornton will definitely be leaving LSU this year as he is a senior, the NBA is obvious as the next level for him.  I think he could make a good fit there.  He is very athletic and aggressive for his size.  But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, he still has a few more games to play as a Tiger. 

In related news, Coach Trent Johnson was officially named as a finalist for National Coach of the Year.  Go back and read every post we’ve written on Coach, we’ve had nothing but praise for him all year.  And it’s not always just a comparison to his predecessor….. the man can flat out coach.  He took a 13-18 team from a year ago and with no added help/players of significance, righted the ship and is now sitting at 25-4, a #11 ranking, and holds the SEC title.  The remaining finalists are Jaime Dixon (Pitt), Darrin Horn (S. Carolina), Jim Calhoun (UConn), John Calipari (Memphis), Lorenzo Romar (Washington), Bill Self (Kansas), Brad Stevens (Butler), Bruce Weber (Illinois) and Roy Williams (North Carolina).

In my extremely biased opinion, it’s a no-brainer.  Coach Johnson all the way.  But, we will have to wait ’til the Final Four in Detroit to find out…..speaking of Detroit, how in the hell, with everything wrong with that town; unemployment rate highest in the country, shit economy, etc…..how can they support 4 professional sports teams (Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings, and Lions)?  Hopefully the Final Four this year is the beginning of a comeback for the city…what a mess up there.  An New Orleans is worried about losing one of their two teams (Saints & Hornets)…..

Anyway, congratulations to Marcus Thornton for his achievements and for Coach Johnson’s nomination and recognition.  It is certainly a great time to be a Tiger fan.  See you tomorrow night for the final home game vs. Vanderbilt.  The 5 graduating seniors will also be recognized….Senior Night.  Be the first 1000 there (i think it’s 1000) to get a poster 

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

-Bury Me on the 50

The Tigers piled on two more wins last week and continued their hot streak in the SEC.  Now, LSU has won 13 straight conference games, 10 straight overall and for the 3rd week in a row, rise in the national ranks.  The Tigers find themselves at #11 in today’s ESPN/USA Today poll and #12 in the AP poll.  See the new polls here.

Some quick poll-analysis: the only teams with higher winning percentages than LSU are UCONN, UNC, Memphis, Pitt, and Oklahoma.  The top 10 in both polls are almost identical, however, the 11-20 ranks of both polls involve the same teams, but the order is comparably different.  For example, Villanova is #11 in the AP and #16 in the ESPN/USA Today.  (more after the jump…)

All that doesn’t really matter, just something I noticed.

The Tigers keep winning, keep moving up nationally, and are on their way to a high seed in the NCAA tournament.  Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Tigers at a #5 in his “Bracketology“.  Another site gives LSU a #6 seed.  After a few more wins, that could very well change for the better.

Last night on Inside LSU Basketball with Jim Hawthorne, Coach Trent Johnson said the team has reached the goals they had set so far, which must be winning the SEC.  He also encouraged fans to come out Wednesday for Senior Night.  LSU loses 5 seniors this year; Marcus Thornton, Garrett Temple, Chris Johnson, Quinton Thornton, and Terry Martin.  These guys have given a lot to this school, so be there for them, fans!….I just hope they don’t play 3 Doors Down’s “When I’m Gone” as they introduce the players and show highlights, like they did at the last Senior Day I attended.  ‘Horrible’ is the only word that comes to mind.

Next in the Tigers’ way, are two remaining regular season games, the at home with Vandy Wednesday night at 7pm.  Then at Auburn, Saturday at 6pm.  Following that will be the SEC tournament in Tampa, FL (March 12-15), where the Tigers have earned a first round bye.

GEAUX TIGERS!!!!

-Bury Me on the 50

(Mitchell doing his thing)

The number one collegiate baseball team in allll of the land, your LSU Tigers, improved to 7-0 yesterday as they swept Central Florida in front of 4,303 fans at the Box.  Leon Landry, Austin Nola, and Chad Jones all had solo shots while Jared Mitchell blasted two shots in the 16-0 route.  Austin Ross (2-0) got the win, shutting out UCF in six innings of work.  The Tigers hit the road for the first time as they take on UNO on Tuesday.

I mean really….is the football team really going to have the lowest post season ranking of the big 3?  If you say you called it, you lie….YOU LIE!!!!

(If he plays as good as he looks, we'll be just fine. C'mon, that's a cool lookin dude.)

I suppose when you see how well the Tigers recruit, you dont wait around once they offer you, knowing that offer might get yanked if someone better than you at your position starts to fancy Les and company.  Miles picked up his first two commitments for the 2010 class this weekend in TE Nick Jacobs from Many (pictured above) and ATH Tharold Simon from Eunice who chose the Tigers over offers from Tulsa and Texas A&M.  So, we’re off and running at the number 1 spot for 2010.  Well done Lesticles!

** So after this post went up, Miles got a third commitment from WR Mike Davis from Dallas, TX.  Davis had offers from a ton of schools…Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Florida to name a few.  With powerhouses (sans A&M and Notre Dame) like that on the list, looks like LSU nailed another top prospect.

**** And another!  Brandon Worle, a fullback from LaGrange, GA has also given his pledge to Les and the Tigers.

LSU comes from behind to beat Kentucky in Lexington and now owns the 2008-2009 SEC title outright!!  These guys continue to find ways to win and have done so 10 games in a row overall and for 13 consecutive SEC games. 

The visiting team locker room doors were closed Saturday night in Rupp Arena, but ESPN’s Pat Forde could hear chants of “LSU, LSU, LSU” coming from inside.  It was just a part of the story of LSU’s season of which he found compelling enough to write one of his own……. click here  (more after the jump)

Now that the Tigers are 25-4 and have won 4 straight while being ranked in the top 25 nationally, there is no doubt they will move up in those polls and possibly receive a 3-5 seed in the NCAA tournament.  However, I believe that with still 2 games left; one at home against Vandy and another at Auburn, Trent Johnson will coach each of them the way he has coached the last 13 SEC games the Tigers have played and won….. not thinking about the postseason. 

Keep it up Tigers!  Your fans, whether with you from the beginning of the season….cough, cough…, or not, are proud and amazed!

GEAUX TIGERS!!

-Bury Me on the 50