NEW YORK -- Some take-aways from LSU's 83-72 loss to N.C. State on Tuesday at the Barclays Center.
1) Figure out how to finish: Putting the final touches on games was a nagging problem for the Tigers at times last season and made the difference between 22 wins and a solid NCAA Tournament berth and perhaps 25-26 and a much more favorable seed.
Twice in two nights here, LSU (3-2) was in a dogfight with power-conference teams -- the kinds you see in a first- or second-round NCAA Tournament game -- and couldn't come up with the right equation.