By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Trent Johnson doesn’t like the term “rebuilding.”
In fact, LSU’s second-year coach said he hated to use the word Monday. But Johnson also understands the reality of what he and the Tigers are facing this season: A year after winning the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, LSU is rebuilding.
“I knew this was coming for us when I took this job,” Johnson said. “But that didn’t make it easy.”
LSU’s 2009-10 season has been a far cry from its championship performance of a year ago. The Tigers (9-14, 0-9 in SEC) lost their ninth conference game — and 12th in the past 13 — at home against Kentucky last Saturday. With it, LSU remains the SEC’s only winless team in league play as they prepare to play Arkansas (12-11, 5-3) in Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night.
It has been a rough road for the Tigers, who haven’t won a game since beating McNeese on Jan. 4.
LSU knew it was facing a tough task when veterans like Marcus Thornton, Chris Johnson and Garrett Temple departed after last season’s success. It has been worse than expected even though the Tigers returned talent like Tasmin Mitchell, Bo Spencer and Storm Warren.
Injuries (especially to guard Alex Farrer), offensive woes and depth issues have plagued a team that is loaded with youth outside those three.
“The guys that are freshmen or who have been in the program, quite frankly, haven’t played up to probably their standards,” Johnson said. “They haven’t played up to my standards in terms of just being competitive and having some mental toughness. But it’s tough in a league like this. There’s a few teams in the country in college basketball that reload. A lot of us have to rebuild.”
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey believes LSU’s problems make them a dangerous team, though. He understands exactly how the Tigers feel, considering Arkansas was going through many of the same frustrations last year.
Now, the Razorbacks lead the SEC Western Division.
“There’s no question,” Pelphrey said when asked if LSU is a dangerous team. “We’ve been there. We know what it’s like to have to hang in and battle and to go on the road and to want to compete in this league. I’m just telling you, this will be our hardest game to date.”
LSU’s biggest problem has been its ability to score points. The Tigers are last in the league in scoring, averaging 56.2 points in its nine conference games. LSU hasn’t cracked the 60-point mark in seven of its games.
But Arkansas guard Stephen Cox said the Razorbacks can’t take the Tigers lightly. He said they’re more than capable of ending Arkansas’ four-game win streak.
“Their record may not show that they’ve got a great record, but they could very easily beat us if we don’t come Wednesday alert and on edge and ready to play,” Cox said. “It’s a long season. We need to make sure that we’re focused and prepared each game.”
LSU is flirting with history. No team has gone winless in SEC play since the league expanded to 12 teams. The last SEC team to go winless in conference play came in 1954-55, when Georgia Tech went 0-14.
Johnson knows it has been difficult for his team and said they haven’t been good “in any aspects during a difficult season. However, he credited his players for doing the best they can as LSU continues to rebuild.
“It’s tough and it’s frustrating,” Johnson said. “But I think for me, my concern — and I talk to my guys all the time about it — is as long as you understand why we’re in this position, as long as you understand the process, that’s all that matters.”
