ATHENS, Ga. — The 21st-ranked LSU men’s basketball team will be looking to keep its national ranking and reestablish itself in the SEC Western Division Sunday as the Tigers play the Georgia Bulldogs here Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum.
The game is set for 3 p.m. EST (2 p.m. in Baton Rouge) and will be televised regionally by Lincoln Financial 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).
The Tigers, 13-6 and 2-3 in the SEC Western Division, face three of its next four on the road as they take on Georgia, come home Wednesday for Alabama before traveling to Mississippi State and Tennessee.
But entering Saturday’s play, the Tigers, Alabama and Mississippi State were all just a half game behind division leader, Auburn, in a division where as of Friday , no SEC Western Division team has put together a victory on the road in league play.
The Bulldogs are 12-6 overall and 4-2 in the SEC Eastern Division, tied for second behind league leader and undefeated Florida. The Bulldogs come in off a last-second loss at Alabama and then a home court win on Wednesday in overtime at Stegeman Coliseum, 78-69.
The Tigers had their Maravich Center record 19-game home conference winning streak snapped on Wednesday night by Vanderbilt, 64-53. It was the second straight game the Tigers failed to score 60 points as LSU continued to have trouble shooting the ball, especially in the first 20 minutes of play. Against Vanderbilt, the Tigers made just 10-of-18 layups and shot just 32 percent for the game. LSU has not shot over 30 percent from three-point range in any of the last three games.
Offensive execution was the primary topic when the Tigers went back to practice on Friday.
“Our biggest challenge right now is we’ve got to get better offensively,” said LSU Coach John Brady. “Early (against Vanderbilt) we shot shots that we don’t need to be shooting. We need to be more patient. We need to grind it out at half court. We executed better in second half, but didn’t make plays at the right time. We have to be attentive to detail and be more patient. You can’t score 55 points in this league and expect to put it on your defense every time.”
The Tigers have a 57-38 lead in the series and have won the last three games. John Brady in his 10 years has a 6-4 record against the Bulldogs.
Tickets for Wednesday’s 8 p.m. game at the Maravich Center against Alabama are on sale at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office and online at www.LSUsports.net. The popular duo, Quick Change, will appear at halftime.