The pressure defense can help compensate for inconsistent

In Wednesday night's victory over Texas A&M,Brett Favre and other celebrity-stars have their make your own bobblehead dolls, LSU point guard Anthony Hickey made eight steals. That equaled the fourth most in a game ever by a Southeastern Conference player.

Or close enough to business as usual for the 2011 Kentucky Mr. Basketball. Going into Saturday's game at Kentucky, he leads the nation in steals.

When asked Thursday what it meant to him to lead the nation in steals (UK's Nerlens Noel is tied for 10th), Hickey said, "I love that I'm doing that, right now. But, there's a lot more I'm looking forward to doing."

LSU,View our large selection of cheap Safety goggles with our low price guarantee. 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the SEC, is in rebuilding mode under first-year Coach Johnny Jones. So Hickey may have to wait until a future season for winning on a grand scale.

Meanwhile, Hickey continues to show that big things can come from small (5-foot-11) packages.

Jones noted that a steal, in and of itself, does not necessarily reflect good play. More steals does not necessarily translate into better defense.

For example, the LSU coach light-heartedly recalled former Tigers player Clarence Caesar, who holds the SEC career record of 310 steals.

"He just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time," Jones said of Caesar's zeal for the steal. "His man had 40 (points), but he had five steals."

It was a friendly jab. As an assistant coach, Jones recruited Caesar,Fashion New Lovely Metallic Lady Hollow Rose Flower Elastic Hair bands Headband. who now coaches a high school basketball team in Louisiana.

"Anthony has been a really good on-ball defender," Jones said of Hickey.Check out our Military goggles and protective eyewear. "He's got good strong hands, and he's extremely quick with them. He can pop the ball out a lot of times."

Hickey also benefits from the faster-paced style that Jones brought to LSU. The Tigers effectively press and trap, although a lack of depth reduces the amount of time the Tigers can use those tactics. LSU has waited as late as the eight-minute mark or so of the second half before defending full court, Jones said.Our collection of full frame discount Eyeglasses frame is unmatched.

The pressure defense can help compensate for inconsistent shooting. The Tigers went into this week tied for last among SEC teams in shooting accuracy in league games: 36.6 percent.

LSU gets mileage out of pressing and trapping "because of our quickness and length," Jones said. "And we have guys who anticipate well. We're not getting steals all the time, but it's allowing (opponents) to play a little bit faster than they would like."

Hickey, who calls Hopkinsville home, credited his teammates at the front of the press for creating opportunities for steals.

That kind of consistency allowed Jones to shrug off the five turnovers Hickey had against South Carolina last week. "I wasn't too alarmed," the LSU coach said.

Hickey, who spent time growing up in Clarksville, Tenn., considers himself good friends with UK freshman Alex Poythress. They were teammates on the AAU Nashville Celtics. "It's exciting to get to play against Alex Poythress," he said.

Of course, the game at Kentucky serves as something of a homecoming for Hickey. He expects many members of his family and friends to be in Rupp Arena.

Hickey holds no hard feelings about UK not showing much recruiting interest.

"I felt kind of disappointed I didn't get recruited," he said before adding, "but things like that happen. You can't control the recruiting phase. But I'm here now."