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Atlanta notebook: Clawing their way forward

ken davis

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On a cold January day in Hartford, Conn., the LSU Tigers blew a 14-point first-half lead and lost to Connecticut, the No. 2 team in the nation at the time. Darrel Mitchell had a good look at the basket but his three-point attempt banged off the back of the rim just before the buzzer sounded and Connecticut won 67-66.

When the Tigers let a seven-point lead evaporate in the final four minutes Saturday against Texas A&M, guess what LSU's Glen Davis was thinking about?

"I thought about UConn when they came back and beat us," Davis said after a deep sigh.

He also flashed back to Dec. 31 when Ohio State rallied from 10 points down in the final 3:22 to beat the Tigers 78-76 in Columbus.

"I just thought about how I felt when we lost those games," Davis said. "And I knew I didn't want to feel that way again."

Thanks to Mitchell's three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left at Veterans Memorial Arena, Davis didn't experience that feeling of deja vu. Instead the Tigers know the sweet feeling of being one of the final 16 teams remaining in the NCAA tournament. Mitchell's clutch basket gave LSU a 58-57 victory over the Aggies and a date with Duke in Atlanta.

Coach John Brady has watched his young team grow up. The day the Tigers lost to Connecticut, their record fell to 8-5. Those five losses had come by a total of 11 points. Brady said then that he had to keep encouraging his team and telling it to get better. Now the Tigers are 25-8 and are within sight of the Final Four.

Davis didn't wallow in negativity that day in Hartford. In fact, as the Tigers headed into their Southeastern Conference opener, Davis declared that the Tigers were "on the prowl."

"We're young, but we can play basketball," Davis said after the Connecticut loss. "It's all about believing."

Those difficult experiences earlier in the season are paying off for the Tigers now. In addition to the Connecticut and Ohio State games, LSU beat West Virginia in overtime at Morgantown. Mitchell hit a three-pointer with 23 seconds left in regulation to force the OT and then sank another three with six seconds left in overtime for the win.

On Feb. 8 in Baton Rouge, it was Mitchell who rescued the Tigers again. This time, another 14-point lead got away from LSU, but Mitchell's three from the top of the key with 11.2 seconds left gave the Tigers a 78-77 win over Arkansas.

It's no wonder everyone on the LSU bench wanted the ball in Mitchell's hands again Saturday with LSU trailing 57-55.

"He's definitely the guy I want taking the shot," guard Garrett Temple said. "And I was glad I was able to be in the play and pass him the ball. West Virginia, Arkansas. You know what I'm saying? As soon as he let it go, I had a feeling it was going in."

Brady shared that confidence.

"I call [Mitchell] the silent assassin because he doesn't say much," Brady said. "But when it's time to deliver, he can do that. He has hit seven or eight of those in his career."

Mitchell, who has a tattoo on his arm that proclaims him "The Chosen One," said the other game-winners pale in comparison.

"For [Brady] to call my number, I didn't want to let him down," Mitchell said. "I stepped up and made a big shot."

ASSIST FROM COACH PIERRE

The name of the play that created Mitchell's winning shot is called "special." Brady said he keeps a list of LSU's sets in his pocket, but during the timeout, it was associate head coach Butch Pierre who called the play.

The Tigers had not run the play in a game this season. But they did practice it just two days earlier. And Pierre, known as one of the top recruiters in college basketball, has been watching Mitchell make clutch shots since he was in high school.

"It just popped into my mind," Pierre said of the play. "I thought the way [Texas A&M] was hedging screens it would work. Darrel was so wide open [after the screen] they had to switch. Now you have a big guy [Antanas Kavaliauskas] on Darrel.

"Darrel gave him a head fake and he backed up because he thought Darrel was going to drive him. But when Darrel gets a clean look, it doesn't matter if he's 1-for-10. The ball has an absolute good chance of going in.

"That's my shining moment."

THE LAW LOST

Acie Law (15 points) made big basket after big basket for Texas A&M in two NCAA games. After Mitchell's three-pointer, the Aggies wanted the ball back in Law's hands.

LSU didn't allow it. Dominique Kirk had to pass to Josh Carter on the inbounds play because the Tigers had Law double-teamed and unable to catch the ball. Law stumbled to the floor. Some thought he had been pushed.

"I wasn't fouled," Law said, "It was incidental contact. I wouldn't expect the referee to make that call in the NCAA tournament second round with a chance to go to the Sweet 16. I wouldn't expect them to make that call to bail us out. With the game on the line, let the players make a play to win it."

Ken Davis, a longtime college basketball writer for the Hartford Courant, is covering the NCAA Tournament exclusively for Yahoo! Sports from Jacksonville, Fla., this week and Atlanta next week.