Lions hope to sweep season series against South Dakota

Vernon Teel plays tight defense Saturday night against Florida State | Julia Pine

The Lions head out on the road tomorrow to take on a South Dakota team they beat 72-67 in Gersten Pavilion just two weeks ago. LMU is coming off of a double-digit loss to Florida State, but I expect them to be able to handle the Coyotes again.

In the last matchup between the two teams, the Lions received massive games from guards Anthony Ireland and Vernon Teel, while surviving off nights from both Drew Viney and Larry Davis. I wouldn't expect those two to be held down again, so if Ireland and Teel can contribute even half the points they did last time the Lions should be able to pull out the win.

Since playing the Lions, South Dakota have however gone 2-0, beating Tabor College and Eastern Washington.

LMU played well also though in its lone game since facing the Coyotes, hanging tight with a tough Florida State team into the final minutes of the game. Saturday night also saw the return of Edgar Garibay, who despite playing limited minutes looked pretty good on the court and showed off his long range on a sweet 18-foot jumper. Garibay is going to be an important piece of the puzzle for the Lions, especially while Ashley Hamilton is out. The Seminoles beat up LMU's interior defense pretty bad Saturday night, so look for that to be something the team works on before conference play begins.

Tomorrow's game begins at 5 p.m.