LSU eyes third straight win in clash with FIU

LSU has dominated while winning its first two games of the season.

The Tigers will try to continue their inside-outside balance when they face Florida International (1-1) on Thursday night in Baton Rouge, La.

LSU defeated Tarleton State by 36 points in their opener and New Orleans by 35 on Monday, averaging a 47.5-28 advantage in rebounds and a 45-27 edge in points in the paint.

"I truly feel like we've got the best frontcourt in the nation," Tigers forward Michael Nwoko said. "I feel like we're bigger and more skilled than most teams, from the wings to the bigs."

The one negative for the Tigers in their opener was the 16 turnovers they committed. Coach Matt McMahon emphasized cutting down on turnovers, and LSU had just seven against New Orleans while matching the 21 assists it had in the opener.

"The main thing is trusting each other," Nwoko said. "We have no one on our team who's selfish. We'll give up a good shot for an even greater shot. Playing inside-out allows us to kick it out for a three, and we have great shooters on our team. They'll keep shooting the ball, and us bigs want them to keep shooting the ball."

Nwoko and point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. have been especially effective together. Nwoko had a game-high 22 points against New Orleans, partly as a result of eight assists by Thomas, who also had nine points.

"It's been fun to watch them grow," LSU head coach Matt McMahon said of Nwoko and Thomas. "They spend a lot of time together off the floor. You see the trust they have in each other."

Florida International (1-1) followed an easy season-opening home victory against Florida National with a 96-66 loss at Nebraska on Saturday.

Panthers coach Jeremy Ballard praised the Cornhuskers for their experience, size and skill, but said his team didn't give a representatives performance.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't give them a better game because we're a lot better than what we showed," Ballard said.

Ballard has used a deep rotation, as 10 Panthers are averaging at least 11.5 minutes per game. Larry Olayinka leads FIU in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (7.0).

--Field Level Media