Alleva makes plea to fans

• By GARY LANEY
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 14, 2009 - UPDATED: 6:28 a.m.

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LSU is bringing back perhaps its most popular halftime show attraction, the magic/dance act “Quick Change,” which, according to LSU officials, is the most requested halftime act at LSU basketball games despite numerous previous appearances at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Perhaps LSU is pulling out the big guns to try to reverse a poor attendance trend. Despite selling some 9,000 season tickets, LSU is only putting half that in the stands on most nights.

“Our team is playing hard and playing with a lot of passion,” said Athletic Director Joe Alleva in a public plea for more fan support Tuesday. “They deserve the support of our fans. So I plead to our fans, please come to the game, give away your tickets or sell your tickets.”

It must be a tough adjustment for Alleva, who came to LSU from basketball superpower Duke, which fills its arena for any opponent.

It’s a bit different from the background of head coach Trent Johnson, who was head coach at Stanford and Nevada before coming to Baton Rouge this year. And the different background brings a different perspective.

“Quite frankly, coming off a record where we were 13-18 last year, I think our support has been pretty good,” Johnson said. “We played a ton of games over the course of when school was out. We played a game New Year’s Eve, and we might have had 4,000 there. So I think our support has been good.”

Got ’em where you want ’em

Recent history says LSU should win today, but the Tigers don’t want any part of the Gamecocks later this season at the SEC tournament.

LSU has won four of the last six meetings with the Gamecoks, including a 62-55 road win last season. All four wins came in regular-season games. In SEC tournament games, South Carolina won the last two meetings, including 77-73 last year at the tournament in Atlanta.

In the SEC tournament last season, Devan Downey had 12 points, 11 assists and three steals for South Carolina while forward Dominique Archie had 15 points and six rebounds. Marcus Thornton had 17 points for LSU and 14 points and seven rebounds in the regular-season win.

A dominant performer for LSU was center Chris Johsnon, who had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots against the Gamecocks in the regular season and 13 points and 14 rebounds in the SEC tourney game.

Neill Berry, South Carolina’s director of player development, played his college ball at Southeastern Louisiana. … LSU has a 15-game home winning streak, including 12 straight wins to start this season. The winning streak is the fifth longest in 38 years at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. … LSU is 7-0 when it allows fewer than 60 points and 5-3 when it allows more than that. … Marcus Thornton has scored in double figures in 11 straight games for LSU. Thornton has also moved into the top 10 in LSU’s career 3-pointers chart with 199. He needs three to catch Brian Beshara for ninth. … LSU guard Garrett Temple’s next blocked shot will move him to sixth on LSU’s career blocks list with an even 100. Temple is the only guard among the leaders. Center Chris Johnson, with 112 career blocks, is third behind only NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Stromile Swift. … South Carolina is 1-1 against ranked teams, picking up an impressive 85-84 road win over Baylor Jan. 2. The Gamecocks also lost at Clemson.