KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The LSU Tigers, coming off a strong road win at Georgia on Wednesday, try to take things up another notch here Saturday, looking for a second straight road win against the Tennessee Volunteers.
The game is set for 6 p.m. CST at Thompson-Boling Arena and the game will be regionally televised on Fox Sports Net (Channel 38 in Baton Rouge). The radio broadcast of the game will be available on the LSU Sports Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) and online at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU shot 52.6 percent and 9-of-20 from the arc to score 95 points in a 95-79 decision over Georgia in Athens on Wednesday, ending an eight-game road losing streak and giving LSU its first win in five games on opponents courts this season. More importantly, the win gave LSU a 12-6 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the SEC Western Division, keeping the Tigers in second place, a half game ahead of Mississippi State.
All five starters were in double figures for the Tigers with Antonio Hudson hitting four treys in a career scoring night of 26 points. Brandon Bass added 21 more, while Darrel Mitchell contributed 17, Tack Minor 13 and Glen Davis 12 points (and 11 rebounds).
Bass, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, is averaging 17.4 points per game to lead the LSU team, while Davis is just ahead of Bass in rebounding average at 8.8 a game. All five starters are still averaging double figures in scoring for LSU.
“Our team needed to get a road win,” said LSU Coach John Brady. “We were able to do that (Wednesday) at Georgia. We guarded them better in the second half after they hit some shots over us in the first half. We’ve played well recently, but last night may have been the best offensive performance of the season. We just have to try to carry it over to Tennessee. They have three home games in a row and are all very big for them, so we will have to be at our best.”
Tennessee is 10-11 overall and 3-5 in the SEC Eastern Division. The Volunteers have lost four straight games, but have played three of the last four away from home against Louisville, Auburn and Vanderbilt, with a home loss to Kentucky thrown in. This will be the start of a three-game homestand for the Vols, as they will face Alabama on Feb. 9 and Florida on Feb. 12.
Scooter McFadgon, the senior from Memphis, is the leading scorer for the Volunteer starters, averaging 14.9 points per game.
LSU returns home Wednesday night at 7 p.m. for the first time in 10 days to take on Auburn. There is a special online sale of tickets for the game at www.LSUsports.net for just $5 each. The tickets must be purchased online and must be purchased in advance by the close of business.