OXFORD, Miss. — The LSU Tigers basketball team hopes to find the right combination that will equal a road victory when it travels to the Tad Smith Coliseum here Saturday for a Southeastern Conference road game against the Ole Miss Rebels.
Game time is 3 p.m. and it will be the second half of Saturday doubleheader on Raycom Sports (WAFB in Baton Rouge). The game will also be televised on markets in Louisiana in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The radio broadcast will be available on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (New Country 100.7 FM The Tiger in Baton Rouge) and in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net.
LSU is 13-3 on the season, 1-1 in the league after a strong 85-68 win over South Carolina on Wednesday. The Rebels are 10-6 on the season and 1-1 in the league. Andy Kennedy’s Rebels defeated Arkansas in Oxford on Wednesday night and has shown resiliency in recent weeks after losing Chris Warren to knee surgery.
Tasmin Mitchell led LSU with a career high 30 points against Carolina, while Garrett Temple and Bo Spencer each had 10 points. The Tigers won for the 16th consecutive time at home dating back to last season and look to take the home magic on the road after disappointing road efforts a week ago at Utah and in the SEC opener at Alabama.
“Ole Miss is very impressive,” said LSU Coach Trent Johnson. “I’d hate to see them when they have the three players that are injured. I think Andy (Kennedy) has done not a good job, a great job. What’s I’m impressed with more than anything is that they’re very tough and they exemplify their head coach’s personality. There’s a reason why they are beating Arkansas and there is a reason why they were down 20 points on the road to Florida and had an opportunity to be in the ball game and win the ball game down the stretch.
“We need to play well as usual; there’s nothing to change from our standpoint,” the first-year LSU coach said. “We just have to understand that we’re on the road, but have confidence and trust in your teammates that at crucial times, you’re going to really have to compete and not tighten up … We have to take care of the ball, we have to rebound, we have to defend and we have to do those things better. I have to find a way to keep them confident and make then understand they have to be tougher and all those kinds of things.”
The Tigers for an amazing 17th straight game are expected to start the one and only lineup it has gone with all year ? Marcus Thornton (17.9 ppg), Garrett Temple (7.1 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Bo Spencer (12.2 ppg, 2.8 apg) at guards, Chris Johnson at center (8.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Tasmin Mitchell at forward (15.1 ppg).
After this road trip the Tigers will be at home for games all next week, hosting Mississippi State in the league on Wednesday and then nationally-ranked Xavier comes to town on Jan. 24 for a nationally-televised 7 p.m. game on ESPN2. Tickets for both those contests are available online at LSUsports.net.