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Barnes: Aldridge Not the Only Longhorn Who Came Up Short

Posted on: Sunday, 26 March 2006, 15:00 CST

By Ed Miller, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Mar. 26--ATLANTA -- Don't blame Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge for Saturday's 70-60 overtime loss to LSU in the Atlanta Regional Final, coach Rick Barnes said.

Sure, Aldridge made just 2 of 14 shots, but he wasn't the only Longhorn who couldn't buy a basket.

"People are going to talk about LaMarcus, but I thought where they did a remarkable job was with perimeter defense," Barnes said. "We tried to work inside out and tried to get movement with our perimeter guys. They did a good job of fighting through screens, getting there, being there on the catch, and they really turned in an outstanding defensive effort, inside and out."

Aldridge, who scored 26 points in Thursday's win over West Virginia, was held to four. LSU's Glen Davis said the game plan was to be physical with him.

"The scouting report says he doesn't like when he's roughed up," Davis said.

2006 success similar to 1986 trip to Final Four

Not long ago, the 1986 LSU basketball team, the school's last in the Final Four, returned to campus for a reunion.

Call it a case of good karma, because the 2006 team followed the same path, beating a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 in Atlanta to reach the Final Four.

LSU, a No. 11 seed in '86, defeated No. 2 Georgia Tech and No. 1 Kentucky at the now-razed Omni Arena.

This year's team earned a No. 4 seed but was embracing its underdog role. LSU began the season 6-1 but dropped four of its next six, including an upset loss to Northern Iowa. LSU also lost consecutive games to Cincinnati and Ohio State and fell by a point to Connecticut.

"We never knew we were going to be in this situation," Davis said. "But we believed. We always believed in ourselves and our team.

"It's just a will and determination to get back up again, after you get slugged by a tough team."

LSU was 8-5 after the loss to the Huskies, but coach John Brady said the team gained confidence from the defeat.

"I told them after the game that we were a Top 25 team and people just don't know it yet," Brady said. "And I really believed that because of the way we were playing with the youth that we had."

Tigers hope win helps boost Katrina's victims

Davis said he hopes LSU's win provides some "uplift" to victims of Hurricane Katrina attempting to put their lives back together.

Brady echoed that sentiment.

"If we have helped our state in some way and uplifted some people there that have had a difficult time with what the state has been through, then we're humbled by that," he said. "But we're also appreciative, if we're able to do that; we're appreciative of the position that we're in."

Reach Ed Miller at 757-446-2372 or ed.miller@pilotonline.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

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Source: The Virginian-Pilot

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