that, l.s.u. trails by four. all day here. it't cth pper knowold mus. you!of te! exc... what grndwithan ♪ yout habe so nice ♪ >> eric >> eric: they're going crazy here at memorial gym in nashville. why not? vandy on top of l.s.u. by four. 24th ranked team in the country. starting to play a little bit better. but l.s.u. still in the hunt because of bo spencer. >> bob: they made four threes in this game and mr. spencer made all four of them. how about this degree of difficulty? nine on the degree of difficulty chart. bombing from deep. he told me before the game he's only 60%. it'd like to see him at 100%. spencer keeping him in the game right now. >> eric: bo spencer missed the entire second half in the game against arkansas earlier in week. that really hurt l.s.u. because both spencer the last couple of games have been his best basketball of the year. >> bob: he had 25 against tennessee. he had 25 against kentucky. then, of course, now he has 14 in the game on a very difficult court to play on. he has a left ankle injury. playing pretty darn good under the circumstances. >> eric: l.s.u. looking for their first s.e.c. win since s.e.c. went to divisional play in the early '90s there has been been a team that did not win a conference team. >> bob: ever been a team, snfr>> ericsnf ever? >> eric: been a while. 1953-'54 georgia tech when they were in the s.e.c.. >> bob: there you go. [ inaudible ] >> eric: before the shot, a foul. this is on harris, then it's his fourth. it is on dennis harris. >> bob: do your work early. that's what happened on that play. ease ease gets the foul. and storm warren having to come back in with 11 minutes to go and immediately gets a steal sdmrfrjts>> eric: trying to set up the alley-oop to feingol go goulbourne. spencer inside with a trip to the free-throw line. tinsley. the second foul on tinsley. [brief technical difficulty] >> eric: uh-oh. that's on storm warren! so now he has four fouls. and decision time for trent johnson. >> bob: he has a very interesting thing. i think he has to take him out this early in the game. if there was 8:00, i'd leave him in. you're about to upset somebody and your best chance is with him in the game. >> eric: they are going to take him out. they're going to take out warren. >> bob: the versatility now of mitchell will come into play. four fouls on storm warren, their best rebounder. the best interior guy. mitchell will play with green. an interesting situation now. small line-up on the perimeter with tinsley in the game. and bass and spencer. a little different look now for l.s.u. >> eric: we're going to have a foul 30 feet away. ezeli. that's his second foul. ogilvy will come on to replace ezeli on the floor. >> bob: a good combination with size with the guys. good combination. that would be production from the position. >> eric: bo spencer has a hard time inbounding it. calls a time-out. l.s.u. with two time-outs remaining. >> bob: so this game, eric, has been a very interesting feel. very unusual. you would not expect l.s.u. obviously to be close in a game against vanderbilt here. however, they have done it with mitchell out in the first half with fouls now. the foul trouble is adding up. they did it by patient offense, 2-3 zone out of it and vanderbilt not having a good night offensively. vanderbilt's problem, of course, is jacobs is not in the game, he's their second best three-point shooter. as a result, they are struggling a little bit against the zone. >> eric: l.s.u. looking for their first win if conference play. they're 0-10 while vanderbilt have been sensational at home on the season. they won all 12 home games dating back to last year. they won 17 straight here at memorial gym. >> bob: vanderbilt was 19-12 last year. didn't go anywhere. they made the league. last year, l.s.u. 27-8. 13-3 in the league. ncaa tournament they beat butler and lost to north carolina. >> eric: missed shot. tasmin mitchell. with the left hand. a one-point game now. >> bob: oddly enough with warren out, mitchell goes to the interior on offense, where i like him better against the zone. on the perimeter, not as good. he against the interior on the zone is more productive. >> eric: a foul on tinsley. the sixth team foul on l.s.u. with that foul committed it will be free-throws for vanderbilt. goulbourne. gets the roll. it's been his afternoon. >> bob: he has played well. long, lean. >> eric: nine points off the bench for pride out of new jersey. >> bob: your buddy coached him, didn't he? >> eric: stone. taught him everything he knows. >> bob: did a good job. made him taller, too, from what i understand. >> eric: inside. nice play! garrett green off the right side from mr. bass. [ cheering ] that will go down as the prettiest offensive play for l.s.u. today. >> bob: wide open. unusual. very athletic. 6'11". >> eric: beal hangs in the air, draws the foul on garrett green. free-throw situation for the senior guard from dallas. >> garrett green, 6'11", set the sc a switch roll and roll indeed he did. perfect execution, pick-and-roll play. >> eric: do you think he ever did that with larry drew? high school teammates of larry drew, now at north carolina. >> bob: probably ran a lot of that. you mentioned an interesting point a couple minutes ago. the free-throw line is where vanderbilt is going to get a lot down the stretch here. they have taken the ball to the basket. better against the zone in this half. as a result, they got through the situation and the players in foul trouble. >> eric: a foul. call it on jeffery taylor. the third foul on taylor. this has been more frequent in the second half than in the first half. >> bob: yeah. one of the advantages kevin stallings has coaching vanderbilt, did you see him just whistle? you have to get the kids' attention from a long distance. >> eric: learned that whistle from illinois state. mitchell. to the rim and scores with the left hand! >> bob: that is talent, my fr friend. split three players and got to the goal. one of the more talented guys in the league. having to carry his team. steps out of double-team. gets all the way through. four players. stand corrected. >> eric: six points now from mitchell. tied at 48. >> bob: amazing. >> eric: taylor. inside. gets it to goulbourne! [ cheers and applause ] a new career high for mr. goulbourne! what a day. 11 points for the sophomore! mitchell trying to answer. >> bob: talk about a difficult shot! hole lil cow! what is so smart is they're now man-to-man. mitchell understands who is guarding him and what the defense is very well. >> eric: ogilvy. on the baseline. he will go to the free-throw line. when we come back, 7:58 remaining. l.s.u. can they get the first conference win? we'll see! the images from haiti are heart-breaking-- homes, hospitals, and schools destroyed; families searching for loved ones; parents trying to feed their children. but we can all do something. we can help the american red cross as it delivers the food, water, and medicine that can save lives. donate $10 by texting "haiti" to 9-0-9-9-9. visit redcross.org or call 1-800-red-cross. thanks for your help. games. why? fortson is back after being suspended for 14 games. 22 points per game in the last three. and five former s.e.c. players are in the n.b.a. all-star game. who are they? >> eric: uh-oh. i knew you would put my feet to the fire. that is surprising to me. joe johnson is one. >> bob: gators got in there. they got in on special invitation from the pope or something like that. >> eric: ronaldo. >> bob: the point guard from kentucky. well represented this weekend. >> eric: you have to remember there is a lot of guys in the all-star game high schoolers as well. lebron james, kobe bryant, that kind of stuff. having five guys one conference is impressive. ogilvy, the second free-throw off the mark. rebound, tasmin mitchell. in the game is darshawn mcclellan wearing 21 for vanderbilt. >> bob: the offense is getting better for both teams in the second half. l.s.u. -- i mean vanderbilt 7 for 10. l.s.u., 50%. >> eric: taylor makes them pay! and he's fouled! [ cheering ] what is change of events. >> bob: ball handling has been good for l.s.u. the entire game. right there fatigue set in. and a casual pass leads to a spectacular play at this end. a good player. >> eric: 7 for 9 at the free-throw line. >> bob: get pressure because of the fatigue factor. that was not et effective in th first half. they had to penetrate through it and got the easy shot. >> eric: spencer is fouled. >> bob: the number one rule when you press in a double-team, do not foul. he's not used to that. take a look at this in the second half. both of the teams are on fire. much better execution many in the second half. >> eric: look at the disparity in free-throw attempts. 24 attempts for vanderbilt. just four for l.s.u. [ inaudible ] at the end of the game, win or lose, free-throw shots in the game? >> bob: one time i had that situation. i was yelling at the officials. they shot 20, we only shot three. he said, "tell your guys to stop fouling." [ laughter ] l.s.u. doesn't have strength inside. that's why. they don't take it to the basket that well with the perimeter guys. that's why they're not getting to the line. >> eric: foul trouble, storm warren. dennis harris. [ whistle ] a foul called on ogilvy! may have got a piece of the ball, but got some of the wrist of spencer, too. >> bob: spencer guarded on the perimeter now because of hissing a rassy from three-point range. as a result, he puts it on the ground and goes around his man. looks like he got all arm to me. amazing how many times the guys in the striped shirts are right. >> eric: spencer, 3 for 3 at the free-throw line. that kid has 17 points. there were doubts whether or not he'd give at it go. >> bob: 60% was the number he gave me, as far as his ability. 60% of his ability. >> eric: left ankle strain, kept him out of the second half of wednesday's game against arkansas. he's fouled! >> bob: strong move right here. taking it hard to the goal. green tried not to foul. possibly would have been advisable to foul hard. so it was not a three-point opportunity. >> eric: festus ezeli will come in to replace a.j. ogilvy. ogilvy goes to the bench. with just four points. >> bob: they've been able to bother him up with the zone. a passer and helper, rather than a scorer. >> eric: a three-point play makes the lead five for vanderbilt. 6:30 to play. looking for someone. and they're going to say jeffery taylor was holding tasmin mitchell. with that foul, the bonus situation so mitchell will go to the free-throw line. three foul fouls now on taylor. with those three fouls, taylor is going to cool his heels on the vanderbilt sideline. >> bob: the fouls have not been the type you'd think. fouls when someone is screening or trying to deny somebody the ball. they're getting fouls on people taking the ball to the basket. >> eric: tasmin mitchell in our star watch. eight points, six rebounds, shoots the one-and-one. makes the first. he'll have another. mitchell averages 38 minutes per game. tops in the s.e.c. but sat for 12 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. picked up two early fouls in the first few minutes of the game. not been fouled since. >> bob: he should be well rested down the stretch. that's what trent johnson was concerned about in the first half. >> eric: mcclellan jumped up in the air and still had the ball when he came down. a travel. >> bob: the man-to-man defense of vanderbilt has been better than their zone. the problem for them right now is who matches up on mitchell? taylor has done a good job. right now, he can post. >> eric: the spin move from mitchell. >> bob: a thing of beauty. mitchell so smart about who is guarding him. right here, he realizes he has size advantage, spins to the baseline. he knows he can get there when he has a bigger guy guarding him. he pulls it to the perimeter and puts it on the floor. a personal offensive player. top guys in the league, mitchell has to be around them. wall and cousins, among them. downey very, very good. jarvis varnado among those. those are the guys that distinguished themselves so far. >> eric: mitchell has a chance if he keeps the scoring pace up to become the third l.s.u. tiger to have 2,000 points in his career. pistol pete and rudy macolvich. >> bob: 1800 and something. >> eric: yeah. big man. we talked about it in the opening, tasmin mitchell. is that foul on storm warren? he is wondering himself. if it's on storm warren, it's his fifth and he's done. >> bob: no definitive answer right now. i believe he's telling him it's his fifth. >> eric: frustrating afternoon for storm warren. the fouls quickly accumulating and he fouls out with 12 points. >> bob: since he is only a sophomore, not mature enough to understand how to play with fouls. stiemsz you have to give things away to stay in the game. he's a good player. a good rebounder and plays bigger than his size. l.s.u. a couple of years with him, he'll be outstanding player in the s.e.c. they've not been themselves in terms of offensive production. only six points. >> bob: surprising. >> eric: last year he had 33 points, career high in the game against l.s.u.. >> bob: very surprising. the zone stifled him some. >> eric: 5:50 left to play. l.s.u. looking for their first conference win, down by four. harris, no one guarding him. takes it to the cup. he's fouled. harris wanted to settle for the elbow jumper but no one in front of him. >> bob: right here! harris sees the opening like a grand canyon opening up for him there. takes it hard. played extremely well in this game. >> eric: double bonus time. two free-throws. tough shot. >> bob: he has to play the rest of the way with warren on the bench. >> eric: he's got ten points. he has scored a grand total of one point in the last four games that l.s.u. played. >> bob: amazing, huh? he will get more playing time i guarantee you that now. part of the interior rotation now for l.s.u. >> eric: that is a little bit lower. beal. right in front of kevin stallings. >> bob: jermaine beal off the screen. didn't execute. >> eric: goulbourne. loses it out of bounds. he thought he was stripped. so l.s.u. a chance to tie or take the lead. >> bob: for a team that's 0-10 in the s.e.c. they played with remarkable poise in the game. now will be the real test in the last five minutes of the game. can they maintain the poise and get the ball to the right guy? >> eric: the ball loose on the floor. saved by tinsley. >> bob: shot clock to eight. they don't know it. >> eric: let them figure it out. spencer. a shot clock violation. on vanderbilt but out of bounds. >> bob: he was not aware and he made a mistake mentally. >> eric: 59-57. vanderbilt needing this win to stay a half game behind the kentucky wildcats in the s.e.c. east. at memorial gymnasium in nashville, bob wenzel, eric collins. surprisingly close game. a winless l.s.u. team in conference against a surprisingly very good vanderbilt team. that foul on dennis harris. harris has just fouled out! so with 4:18 remaining, dennis harris and storm warren have fouled out along the front line for l.s.u.. >> bob: green has to do the work, the 6'11" freshman. mitchell has to get the ball almost every possession. how has l.s.u. done this? they had a spirited practice last night. better for a team that's 0-10. did not hang their heads, had a good game plan and came in here and tried to hold the ball offensively and used the shot clock. 2-3 zone, all very, very well done. >> eric: taylor misses two free-throws. >> bob: 2-3 zone now on part of vanderbilt. mitchell on the scene. there it is! what a touch pass by mitchell. attack the zone and that's the way to do it. >> eric: mitchell finds green and we're tied at 59. ogilvy. draws the foul, gets the bucket! [ cheering ] we weren't tied for long. chance for three-point play. >> bob: other end, tasmin mitchell to green to flush city, baby! today's s.e.c. network game has been brought you by -- ericuntry music halof faasilnnessee. , usa, they call it. >> bob: do you play guitar? >> eric: not once in my life. i don't think i've if i'v i fi. >> bob: you might want to come down here for a couple of days. l.s.u. had a spectacular dunk on the last play. it was because of tasmin mitchell. look at the free-throw line. mitchell will get the ball there. quick dish on the baseline to green. beautiful of how to attack a zone. >> eric: at the other end, ogilvy on the free-throw line because he took it to on the basket. this is coming to the wire unexpectedly. >> eric: both teams in the double bonus. every time we hear the whistle we have two free-throws for either side. >> bob: got to find mitchell, either at the high post or along the baseline. spencer can make shots unless they're close up on him. because of his ankle he can't move well with the basketball. >> eric: mitchell to tinsley. >> bob: good shot. he makes threes against arkansas. they can live with that. >> eric: up and in, goulbourne! off the bench, 13 points for lance goulbourne! [ applause ] >> bob: when you foul out the two biggest guys on the opposing team? you attack the boards. warren and harris fouled out. they can go to the board strong here. >> eric: mitchell, garrett green, with the bounce pass. >> bob: i tell you, garrett green and harris are aggressive players. l.s.u. has had a great year. they're pretty good. >> eric: a whistle on green. it's his fifth. no, it's on tinsley. green can stay in the game. it will be a two free-throw opportunity for a.j. ogilvy. time-out called by l.s.u. this is just a 30-second time-out. we keep it here. >> bob: the thing for vanderbilt right now, the thing for vanderbilt is they have to on the out of bounds play, whatever shot they get, they crash the offensive boards. for l.s.u., they're happy to be where they are right now. but they don't want to let it slip away. defensively they've ban little porous in the last couple of minutes because their legs are heavy and the guys fouled out. for l.s.u., tasmin mitchell has to be part of whatever trent johnson does at the offensive end. >> eric: this is your game reset. >> bob: both teams in the double bonus. >> eric: a lot of whistles and fouls in the second half. also, l.s.u., they have the benefit of the possession arrow. so a held ball is going to be l.s.u. basketball. >> bob: right now, defense is the most important thing for tasmin mitchell and his teammates. at the offensive end, they have to hope for a miss right here. at the offensive end they have to attack the zone the last couple of possessions. i'd not be surprised to see kevin stallings go man-to-man after the free-throw situation. when they needed it. four-point game. [ applause ] the zone. mitchell at the high post. make him work. >> eric: spencer. contested. forced the pass. stolen away. steal and he's fouled! [ applause ] >> bob: great "d" on the part of vanderbilt out of the zone. terrific pass. gets his body where it needs to be. three-point opportunity by the senior. he's a strong guard. i was surprised that l.s.u. didn't get a touch right there for tasmin mitchell. playing on the high post, he could have popped and rolled. >> eric: now the lead is 12-7. it's kevin stallings's turn to call a time-out. he wants to set his team's defense. >> bob: well, the zone has been good for kevin the last couple of possessions. he will probably stay with it. spencer, the only threat from the perimeter really for l.s.u. besides, they could get the ball to the short corner. and then mitchell rolling down the lane. they tried it earlier in the game and wasn't that successful with it. i suspect the second thing to do is dribble penetrate against the zone. >> eric: this is why this game is so important for vanderbilt. they are a game behind kentucky in the s.e.c. east. with a win, move half game behind kentucky. kentucky has a tough one tonight again