Good morning, LSU sports fans: After spending a good portion of the offseason looking for solutions to his team's defensive woes, Will Wade got the desired effects in the early part of the season. With his team at or around the top of the nation's defensive statistics — most notably in fewest points allowed and field-goal percentage — LSU rolled to a 15-1 mark and No. 12 ranking in the AP poll. But the offense has been erratic since the start of Southeastern Conference play and is the main reason the Tigers have lost four of their last five games. So, after shooting 41.1% from the field in its first eight SEC games and missing 14 shots from the restricted area around the basket in Saturday's loss to TCU, Wade couldn't wait to any longer to dissect his team's shooting woes Our Sheldon Mickles has the story of how Wade enlisted the help of an NBA shooting guru who suggested changes that could help LSU turn it around when it hosts Ole Miss at 8 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network). Also, the new polls that were released Monday weren't too kind to the Tigers, who now are hanging by a thread in the Top 25. Wade's team, which fell six spots in the AP poll a week ago after losing twice, dropped six more places to No. 25 and were down seven notches to No. 25 also in the Ferris Mowers coaches' poll. Meanwhile, Kim Mulkey's women's team also took a hit this week when a split of its two games dropped the Tigers to No. 15 in the AP poll. LSU, however, avoided further damage when it defeated Kentucky on Sunday after dropping its second straight road game to Arkansas on Thursday. While all that was going on, former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was leading his Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl LVI with an overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Columnist Scott Rabalais takes a look at the Bengals' meteoric rise after winning twice two years ago, while Burrow was leading LSU to the CFP title, and four times last season when his rookie season was ruined by a knee injury. Also, Jay Clark's gymnastics team is preparing for a visit on Saturday from Auburn and Suni Lee, the gold medalist in the all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games last summer. Clark explains the talent that Lee is and how the NCAA's new Name, Image and Likeness rules helped bring her to collegiate gymnastics where that might not have been possible in the past. And, in case you immersed in the AFC and NFC championships games, Wade picked up a commitment Sunday night from five-star center Yohan Traore of Glendale, Arizona. The 6-foot-10 Traore is the nation's No. 15 overall prospect and fourth-rated center in the 2022 recruiting class. FINALLY: HERE’S A GREAT DEAL If you’re not a subscriber, come join us. Our sportswriters are the hardest-working folks in show business. They’ll keep you up to date on the latest news at LSU (and elsewhere). Support their work, and stay on top of everything. Thank you for reading, The LSU beat team |