# 2009–10 LSU Tigers basketball team

The 2009–10 LSU Tigers men's basketball team represented the Louisiana State University in the 2009–10 college basketball season. The head coach was Trent Johnson, who was in his second season at LSU. The team played its home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 11–20, 2–14 in SEC play and lost in the first round of the 2010 SEC men's basketball tournament.

## Previous season

Trent Johnson completed his first season as head coach of the Tiger men's basketball team in 2009. His first season was very successful as the Tigers won the SEC West division title and the overall SEC regular-season title which earned them the #1 seed in the 2009 SEC men's basketball tournament. As a result of earning the top seed, the Tigers received a first-round bye. The Tigers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round 67–58. However, Mississippi St. proved to be too much in the semi-finals eliminating the Tigers 57–67.
After the SEC Tournament, the Tigers' fate was in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Tigers were awarded the #8 seed in the South bracket for the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This was the first time the Tigers had made the NCAA tournament since making it to 2006 Final Four. The Tigers had to travel to Greensboro, North Carolina to play the first two rounds of the tournament.
In the opening round of the tournament, LSU squared off against the #9 seed Butler, who finished the regular season 26–5. The Tigers seemed to be in control of the game leading by as much as 13, and by a score of 35–29 at the half. However, Butler continued to fight their way back using the size of Matt Howard who finished the game with 22. In the end, though, the Tigers were able to prevail 75–71 behind Marcus Thornton's 30 points.
The 2008–09 squad compiled and overall record of 27–8, including a 13–3 mark in SEC play.

## Preseason

The 2009–10 Tigers men's basketball team had a much different look than the team that competed in the previous season. The Tigers replaced the following seniors from 2008 to 2009:
* Chris Johnson, C, 2-year starter
* Garrett Temple, G, 4-year starter
* Marcus Thornton, G, drafted in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Miami Heat
* Quinton Thornton, F, sixth man
However, Tasmin Mitchell decided to withdraw his name from the 2009 NBA draft and return to LSU for his red-shirt senior season. He joined junior Bo Spencer as the only two starters returning from last year.

### Honors

Senior forward Tasmin Mitchell was the only Tiger to receive any preseason accolades. Mitchell was recently named to watchlist for the 2009–10 Naismith Award, as well as being rated the #4 small forward in college basketball by Rivals.com. During SEC media days prior to the season, Mitchell was named a unanimous First Team All-SEC selection by the SEC coaches.

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Aaron Dotson SG | Seattle, WA | Rainier Beach High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | Oct 22, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Eddie Ludwig PF | Metairie, Louisiana | Metairie Park Country Day School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 13, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not ranked Rivals: Not ranked ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "LSU Commit List for 2009". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010. "College Basketball Recruiting Schools". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010. ||||||

## Schedule

2010 LSU Tigers basketball Game Log :
Regular Season :
November
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall RecordSEC Record
1November 137:00 p.m.Louisiana–MonroeMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana9,08182–621–0–
2November 167:00 p.m.Indiana StateMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana8,11356–452–0–
3November 177:00 p.m.Western KentuckyMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana8,22071–603–0–
4November 256:00 p.m.#13 ConnecticutMadison Square Garden · New YorkESPN255–813–1-
5November 271:30 p.m.Arizona StateMadison Square Garden · New YorkESPN252–713–2– :
December
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall RecordSEC Record
6December 16:30 p.m.Louisiana-LafayetteMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaCST8,10766–584–2–
7December 127:00 p.m.Northwestern St.Maravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana8,41473–625–2–
8December 147:00 p.m.Southeastern LaMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana8,00377–606–2–
9December 177:00 p.m.Nicholls St.Maravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaCST7,95763–607–2–
10December 191:00 p.m.RiceMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaCST8,62965–618–2–
11December 229:00 p.m.Washington St.KeyArena · Seattle, WA15,34170–72 $^{OT}$8–3–
12December 296:00 p.m.Xavier (Ohio)Cintas Center · CincinnatiESPNU10,25065–898–4– :
January
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall RecordSEC Record
13January 27:00 p.m.UtahMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaCSS8,63159–618–5–
14January 47:00 p.m.McNeese St.Maravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana7,80783–609–5–
15January 94:00 p.m.AlabamaMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaFSN9,66649–669–60–1
16January 137:00 p.m.South CarolinaColonial Life Arena · Columbia, South CarolinaSECN12,10358–679–70–2
17January 167:00 p.m.FloridaO'Connell Center · Gainesville, FloridaFSN11,62758–729–80–3
18January 207:00 p.m.AuburnMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaSECN9,44580–849–90–4
19January 2312:30 p.m.#24 Ole MissMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaSECN9,40363–739–100–5
20January 277:00 p.m.AlabamaColeman Coliseum · Tuscaloosa, ALSECN10,65738–579–110–6
21January 3012:30 p.m.Mississippi St.Humphrey Coliseum · Starkville, MississippiSECN7,24751–679–120–7 :
February
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall RecordSEC Record
22February 48:00 p.m.#14 TennesseeMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, Louisiana9,05254–599–130–8
23February 63:00 p.m.#4 KentuckyMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaSECN13,08355–819–140–9
24February 107:00 p.m.ArkansasBud Walton Arena · Fayetteville, ArkansasSECN12,77752–879–150–10
25February 1312:30 p.m.VanderbiltMemorial Gymnasium · Nashville, TennesseeSECN14,31669–779–160–11
26February 203:00 p.m.Mississippi St.Maravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaSECN9,43459–609–170–12
27February 247:00 p.m.ArkansasMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaSECN8,46365–5410–171–12
28February 276:00 p.m.AuburnBeard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum · Auburn, ALFSN8,92759–7410–181–13 :
March
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall RecordSEC Record
29March 48:00 p.m.Ole MissTad Smith Coliseum · Oxford, Mississippi6,43059–7210–191–14
30March 64:00 p.m.GeorgiaMaravich Center · Baton Rouge, LouisianaFSN9,32850–4811–192–14 :
Post-Season :
SEC Tournament
#DateTimeOpponent$^#$RankLocationTVAttendanceScoreOverall Record
29March 112:30 p.m.#13 TennesseeBridgestone Arena · Nashville, TennesseeSECN15,15249–5911–20 :