Lousiana State Tigers
Record: 22-10, 11-7 SEC
Head coach: Johnny Jones (3rd season)
Season summary: After a disappointing exit in overtime against Auburn in the SEC tournament, the Tigers will look to get back to their winning ways against N.C. State with their sights set on No. 1 seed Villanova in the Round of 32. The strength for LSU all season has been inside, with sophomore forwards Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey leading the team with more than 15 points and nine rebounds per game each. Their performances have cemented the Tigers' presence in the paint, where they are eighth in the nation with more than 27 defensive rebounds per game and seventh in the country with 6.2 blocks per game.
On the offensive end, Martin and Mickey will look to kick it out of the post to junior Keith Hornsby, who hit a buzzer-beater to send LSU past Arkansas in the teams' final regular season game. Hornsby—who averages 13.6 points per contest—is the team's best three-point shooter at 39.1 percent and Jones will need his sharpshooter to be on his game if the Tigers want to make any kind of run in the tournament.
How they make a run: LSU's dominance in the paint poses a problem for opposing teams and Hornsby emerges as one of the tournament's top players.
How they falter: Opposing teams shut down Hornsby offensively and guards Tim Quarterman and Josh Gray cannot pick up the slack.
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