SEC Basketball: Four teams to Sweet 16 in 2019 NCAA Tournament

LSU

The LSU Tigers have squeaked by in both of its games. Yale gave the Tigers everything they had. LSU won 79-74.

Then LSU took on a gritty Maryland team that wouldn’t give up easily. The Tigers won 69-67 on a last minute field goal to seal the deal. For the second game in a row, usual shots that fall didn’t for LSU and the long ball was extremely off for the Tigers.

However, it was Marylands defense that gave the Tigers the most trouble. The Terps went into a zone defense that rattled LSU, but it wasn’t enough for them to win.

LSU needs to find a way to shoot better than 36.9 percent from the floor and rebound better. Maryland out-rebounded the Tigers by eight boards. Teams must win the rebound battle if they want to make it into the Final Four.

The Tigers need to settle down and play their game. If the Tigers can get back to the dominance they possessed against Kentucky and Tennessee they could make the final four.

Up next for LSU is No. 2 seed Michigan State. This game will be the Tigers toughest opponent since the Vols and the Wildcats. According to ESPN, Michigan has an 80.6 percent chance to win while LSU has a 19.4 percent chance.

To me, that isn’t an unbiased opinion by ESPN. Yes, UNC is a force in the college basketball world, but LSU continues to show how good they are too. The Tigers can take on the Spartans, but they must play excellent defense.

Michigan State and LSU play on March 29 at 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS.