By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Jan. 14, 2017
Where to watch: Alabama (9-6, 2-1 SEC) at LSU (9-6, 1-3) – Today 2:30 p.m., Maravich Assembly Center, SEC Network
Who to watch: Ar’Mond Davis. After a protracted shooting slump that felt more like a deep freeze, the junior college transfer has become the most valuable player off the bench in the last two games, scoring 12 points against Vanderbilt and 10 versus Florida. But even after shooting a combined 7-for-14 in those games, he has made just under a third of his shots from the floor. He was brought in to be a pure scorer and smooth shooter, and was expected to contribute right away instead of being another long-term project. Today is a great opportunity for him to prove he can knock down shots away from Coleman Coliseum and build confidence before the schedule turns more rugged in February.
What to watch for: A lack of mercy. Johnny Jones’ team quit on him – and not for the first time – in a humiliating 92-62 loss Wednesday at Texas A&M that somehow was an improvement on last spring’s 71-38 Aggies rout in the SEC Tournament. It was the third time this season LSU has lost by 30-plus points and the Tigers are giving up an average of 90 points per game in league play. Jones went to the time-honored move of shaking up his lineup by trying three new starters in College Station and got rewarded with a 21-5 A&M run to start the game. The Tigers show every sign of being a disinterested team just killing time until a new coach comes in to tear down everything and start from scratch. In other words, if Alabama can’t find a way to score against this sad sack team, it is fair to question if the offense will ever be fully functional this year.
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