Carolina is going to cover EASILY over LSU.
There might not be a worse matchup available for LSU than the Tar Heels. Everybody knows about Tyler Hansborough, the all-time leading scorer in the ACC, and to ask poor Chris Johnson to try to match up with the 6-9, 250-pound Hansborough is just unfair. But UNC also has 6-8, 245-pound Deon Thompson in the post. That makes for two big, physical inside people LSU will have a hard time handling. Throw in 6-6 Danny Green, who can jump out of the gym and plays bigger than his height and now you've really got matchup problems. Then UNC has 6-4 Wayne Ellington, who's every bit as good as Jodie Meeks.
LSU's Garrett Temple is an awesome defender who can neutralize Ellington, but if he does then there's a mismatch where the Tigers attempt to guard Green. Tasmin Mitchell might be able to handle Thompson, though Hansborough and Thompson are pretty much guaranteed to control the boards on Saturday (and 6-10 Ed Davis and 7-0 Tyler Zeller will rotate in generously to help out in that regard). So the Hansborough mismatch and the one on either Green or Ellington, depending on who Temple guards, are problems.
Really, the only way I can see LSU covering this game is if the Tigers. Thornton's 10-for-15 performance yesterday wouldn't be enough - he'd need to be something like 17-of-25, with six or seven threes, and then Spencer would need to go 8-of-15 with four or five threes as well. Do any of yu really think that is going to happen? Neither do I!
LSU hasn't really done a bombs-away type game lately, or at least they haven't done one well. That's what it's going to take against UNC - because that team is as good in the post as anybody you'll ever see, and they're also one of the best transition teams anywhere.
So, you've got LSU who really SUCKS at defending the post....playing against one of the best post teams in the NCAA.
Carolina 84-62
There might not be a worse matchup available for LSU than the Tar Heels. Everybody knows about Tyler Hansborough, the all-time leading scorer in the ACC, and to ask poor Chris Johnson to try to match up with the 6-9, 250-pound Hansborough is just unfair. But UNC also has 6-8, 245-pound Deon Thompson in the post. That makes for two big, physical inside people LSU will have a hard time handling. Throw in 6-6 Danny Green, who can jump out of the gym and plays bigger than his height and now you've really got matchup problems. Then UNC has 6-4 Wayne Ellington, who's every bit as good as Jodie Meeks.
LSU's Garrett Temple is an awesome defender who can neutralize Ellington, but if he does then there's a mismatch where the Tigers attempt to guard Green. Tasmin Mitchell might be able to handle Thompson, though Hansborough and Thompson are pretty much guaranteed to control the boards on Saturday (and 6-10 Ed Davis and 7-0 Tyler Zeller will rotate in generously to help out in that regard). So the Hansborough mismatch and the one on either Green or Ellington, depending on who Temple guards, are problems.
Really, the only way I can see LSU covering this game is if the Tigers. Thornton's 10-for-15 performance yesterday wouldn't be enough - he'd need to be something like 17-of-25, with six or seven threes, and then Spencer would need to go 8-of-15 with four or five threes as well. Do any of yu really think that is going to happen? Neither do I!
LSU hasn't really done a bombs-away type game lately, or at least they haven't done one well. That's what it's going to take against UNC - because that team is as good in the post as anybody you'll ever see, and they're also one of the best transition teams anywhere.
So, you've got LSU who really SUCKS at defending the post....playing against one of the best post teams in the NCAA.
Carolina 84-62
