GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU Tigers, living on the edge with the lead in the Southeastern Conference after a last-second win over Arkansas on Wednesday, goes into the valley of the Rowdy Reptiles Saturday as it takes on No. 7 Florida Saturday at the O’Connell Center.
Game time is noon CST. The game will be regionally televised by JP Sports (WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge).
The radio broadcast of the game will be available on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) and in the Geaux Zone powered by USAgencies at LSUsports.net.
The Tigers are 16-6 on the year, 8-1 in the league, while the Gators are 20-3 and 6-3 in the league. LSU was a 78-77 winner over Arkansas on Wednesday thanks to Darrel Mitchell‘s three-pointer with 11 seconds to play, while Florida lost in Gainesville to South Carolina, a team that swept Florida this season.
“I think we deserved to win last night, because we played well for 35 minutes. We were fortunate to win on Darrel Mitchell’s made three-pointer to hold off Arkansas,” said LSU Coach John Brady.
Mitchell could etch his name further into the LSU record book on Saturday as he needs just three three-point field goals to take over the top spot on the school’s list of top three-point field goal shooters.
Mitchell enters with 235 treys and the record is held by Torris Bright, who made 237 from 2000-2003.
The Tigers have had some success over the years in the normally rocking O’Connell Center. LSU is 9-9 all-time in the building and coach John Brady is 2-2 in his first four trips to the building, though there have been a wild variety of games.
LSU won Brady’s first visit to Gainesville in 1998 and on another trip the Tigers suffered a 30-point defeat in which the coach didn’t see the finish of the game. The last time the Tigers were in Gainesville, LSU defeated the No. 22 Gators by three points.
The Tigers are tied for the league lead with Tennessee, both at 8-1. With seven games to play in the Western Division, LSU has a two-game lead over Alabama (6-3) and a four game advantage over Arkansas (4-5).
“We have to be more mentally prepared in the game against Florida and make the decision necessary to win the game,” said Brady. “We will have to play our best to have a chance to win.”
After Saturday, the Tigers return home for a Wednesday game at the Maravich Center against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale online at LSUsports.net and at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office. The popular magic group, “Quick Change” will make a return appearance at halftime of Wednesday’s game.