Michigan will take on LSU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Monday, and this could be a tough one. The Tigers are undisciplined, defense optional and ... playing their best ball of the season.
They've got big guards, led by Cameron Thomas (22.6 points in his last six games), and are 5-1 in their last six games. ESPN reseeded the field for the round of 32 and the Tigers came in at No. 19, just behind SEC rival Florida. That equates to a five seed, and that's about how they're playing right now, if not better.
The good news — this has been a defense optional team much of the year. It was clear St. Bonaventure, the Atlantic 10 Champ, was overvalued a bit, but the Bonnies still led their league in offensive efficiency and managed only 61 points in a loss to the Tigers.
St. Bonaventure and LSU were a combined three for 24 from the field in the first eight minutes, missing 12 straight triples in what looked like it would be an ugly contest, but Thomas took over. The 6-4 frosh scored 27 points, and it's his ability to get to the rim that's concerning. Eli Brooks struggled at times with OSU's Duane Washington, and he's considered the Wolverines' best guard defender — Washington is no Thomas.
We all remember, too, how tough it was to contain the Illinois guards. Javonte Smart (15.6 points per game, 41.6 from three) is the other half of the Alabama backcourt, and he also stands 6-4.
This could be a game where Juwan Howard tries to go a bit more zone, but the Tigers have four guys in their rotation shooting over 40 percent from long range.
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