Catch him while you can

LSU’s Ben Simmons was the first major college player with 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 assists since Blake Griffin in 2008. (Photo courtesy CBS Sports)

No. 22 LSU lost to Marquette last night in the semifinals of the Legends Classic, 81-80.  It was the Tigers’ first defeat of the season and it probably came much earlier than many people anticipated, as the hype surrounding this team is as big as its been around any LSU team since Shaquille O’Neal left Baton Rouge for the NBA in 1992.

The Tigers failed their first big test and there aren’t many more big games before conference play begins on Jan. 2 against Vanderbilt.  LSU faces a solid N.C. State team tonight and will take on Wake Forest, who just beat No. 14 Indiana, on Dec. 29; outside of that the Tigers will have to be careful about getting cavities from all the cupcakes they’ll see over the next month or so.

In last night’s game, both LSU’s immense potential and its flaws were on full display.  The Tigers are as athletic as any team in college basketball.  They are long and they are fast. Johnny Jones has a number of interchangeable players at the guard and forward positions.  They can fill passing lanes and are a terror on the fast break.  At the same time, LSU is frustrating in the half court, both offensively and defensively.  They fall in love too quickly with the three pointer and they will struggle against teams with strong post play.

Against a mediocre Marquette squad, the Tigers shot 37 percent from the floor (8-27 on three pointers) and allowed the Golden Eagles to make nearly 52 percent of their field goal attempts.  LSU was also beaten on the boards, as they were outrebounded 46-40.  The Tigers did force 22 turnovers that led to 19 points.

One thing that the Tigers do not have to worry about is the play of Ben Simmons.  Having watched Simmons twice in person and twice on television, it is clear that he is deserving of the advance billing that he received.  The freshman had 21 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals while playing all 40 minutes.  His athleticism is off the charts, along with his complete understanding of the game and his ability to anticipate what other players will do on the court.

So much is expected of the young Australian that people went nuts over him passing up the final shot…four games into the season.  That amounts to saying Jennifer Lopez is gorgeous, but she’s 46.  Let it go.

The best thing about Ben Simmons’ game is that it has something for everyone.  If you enjoy jaw-dropping plays like his coast-to-coast drive and dunk that took over the internet last night, he gives you that.  If you enjoy the subtle pleasure of the perfect bounce pass, Simmons can do that too.

While Simmons looks like he hasn’t yet shaved, it is obvious that he is a man among boys at the collegiate level.  He doesn’t belong here.  He’s like a gifted child in a classroom full of “average” kids.  Things move too slowly for him.

So LSU fans and college basketball fans alike should savor these next few months.  They will go by quickly.  These are not the days when you got to watch greatness unfold before you.

The potential is there for this to be a historic season for the Tigers.  They could win an SEC championship, make a Final Four or even win a national title, but the story all season long will be Ben Simmons.  He’ll be here for just one year, but I believe that Simmons will create enough memories this season to keep him etched in our memories for decades.

 

Which way is up? Saints season and franchise seem lost.

Wherever Brandon Browner is on the football field, a yellow flag seems to be nearby. (Photo courtesy NOLA.com)

It isn’t even Thanksgiving, but for all intents and purposes the New Orleans Saints’ season is over.

Yes, the Saints still have six more games, but the hope and optimism that existed for the franchise before the season began is long gone.

The boys in black and gold have been one of the NFL’s greatest disappointments.  The Saints are 4-6 and staring at missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.  Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired this week; all he did was preside over a unit that currently ranks last in the league in points allowed, yards allowed, passing touchdowns allowed, and passing yards per attempt.

It was easy to point a finger at the defense.  Just by looking at the passing numbers posted against the Saints defense you’d think the team had faced a Hall of Fame signal caller each week, but the Saints have been torched by rookies Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota (578 yards, 5 touchdown passes, 1 touchdown rushing), and journeymen Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins (657 yards, 6 touchdown passes).

The pass rush has underachieved, producing only 22 sacks.

Against the run, the defense is only slightly better and that’s probably due to how little resistance New Orleans offers to the pass. Opposing rushers have averaged nearly five yards per carry and teams are putting up more than 130 yards per game.

And then there are the penalties…

The Saints have been penalized 82 times for 718 yards, fourth most in the league.  No player has gotten flagged more often than defensive back Brandon Browner with his 19.  Teammate Delvin Breaux is tied for fourth in the NFL with seven.

New Orleans’ defense is both bad and undisciplined.  Maybe the change to Dennis Allen at defensive coordinator can fix one of those issues, but there’s not enough talent in that looker room to make a real difference this season.

 

The disaster on defense and the occasional brilliance of Drew Brees have masked what has also been a disappointing year for the Saints offense.

It’s easy to be fooled by the lofty rankings, but the offense has been unbalanced and inconsistent.

There’s been no commitment to the run as was promised in the offseason.  Mark Ingram continues to display the ability to be one of the league’s better backs but he’s gotten at least 20 carries in a game only two times this year.  Khiry Robinson has already been lost for the year with injury and free agent signee C.J. Spiller has contributed little outside of his game winning touchdown against the Cowboys.

It seems strange that a team with a defense as bad as the Saints would rely so heavily on the pass, even with Brees being the guy doing the passing.  However, New Orleans chucks it more than 62 percent of the time.  Only 11 teams in the league have a higher percentage of pass plays called.  Of those 11, just New England and Denver have winning records.  In fact, only five of the top 20 teams in passing attempts have winning records.

But the Saints keep throwing.

The Saints are a volume offense now, not an explosive one.  They amass huge numbers because they are on the field so often, because the defense gives up so many points.

The big play is a bigger part of the offense than it was last season, but the Saints are not explosive.  The Saints have 51 plays of 20 yards or more this season, but they rank 18th in the league in big play percentage.  New Orleans hasn’t ranked in the top ten since 2011.

In the Saints’ six losses they’ve scored fewer than 20 points per game and only two of those were against winning teams.  That’s not a juggernaut.

As I said to SportsNOLA’s Ken Trahan during the Washington game via Twitter, the Saints are a really bad team that occasionally masquerades as an entertaining one.

This is a team that could easily be 1-9.  Take away the miracle finish against Dallas, the one good half against Indy, and the special teams blunder by the Giants that put the Saints in field goal range, and that’s what they probably would be.

As we look ahead to the final six games, there are no “gimmes”.  The Texans just knocked the Bengals from the ranks of the unbeaten. Carolina hasn’t been slowed yet this season.  Tampa Bay is always a tough place for the Saints to win, and who knows which Detroit team will show up to the Superdome.  New Orleans should be favored against Jacksonville, but what does that mean at this point?  The Falcons could be playing for the postseason in Week 17, what will the Saints be playing for?

It looks like another lost season Saints fans, and the path that the franchise is on seems to be taking it further and further away from contention and relevancy.

Anybody out there know the way back?