KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The LSU men’s basketball team begins a two-game road swing when the Tigers travel here for a Saturday afternoon contest with the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The game is set to tip at 4:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPNU with Mike Morgan and Chris Spatolo on the call. Jim Hawthorne, Ricky Blanton and studio host Kevin Ford will have the call on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge).
The Tigers enter Saturday’s play in second place in the league, one game behind leading Kentucky. The Tigers are 9-4 and Kentucky, which travels to Texas A&M on Saturday, is at 10-4. Three teams are tied for third at 8-5 – South Carolina, Florida and Texas A&M. Florida travels to South Carolina in the opening game of the day on Saturday’s schedule.
In all, 10 teams have mathematical chance to still share the SEC title with five conference dates remaining and no team has yet to be eliminated from a top four finish that carries the double bye to the quarterfinals.
LSU is 16-10 overall, while Tennessee is 12-14 and 5-8 in the league. The Vols drew the Thursday-Saturday card this week and played Thursday night at Kentucky, losing 80-70. In that game Armani Moore had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Vols, while Kevin Punter had 17 second half points in tallying 19 in the game.
The Vols shot 37.9 percent for the game (22-58) and 5-14 at the arc. Kentucky out rebounded Tennessee, 45-39, but Tennessee had a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Moore averages 11.6 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, but it is Punter who has had the big season at 22.2 points per game (2nd in the SEC) and 3.5 assists.
The teams split meetings a year ago with each team winning on their opponent’s home court. Rick Barnes, who had a lengthy tenure at Texas besides stops at Clemson, Providence and George Mason, is in his first year at Tennessee.
The Tigers are coming off their first loss at home in SEC play on Wednesday, 76-69, to Alabama. LSU was unable to hold on to an eight-point advantage in the second half with 15:49 to play, being outscored 38-23 in the final 15 minutes. LSU was just 8-of-25 from the field in the second half and shot just 38.6 percent for the game (22-of-57). Even more troubling was LSU’s free throw percentage of just 57.1 percent as the Tigers made just 20-of-35 free tosses in the game.
Craig Victor II had a career night with 21 points on 7-of-13 field goal shooting and 7-of-8 free throw shooting. Ben Simmons had his 18th double double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Simmons was 5-of-10 from the field and 10-of-19 at the free throw line.
LSU was out rebounded, 39-34, but only committed five turnovers to 14 for the Tide.
LSU has not lost back-to-back conference games this season, having rebounded for wins each time.
“Following a tough setback against a very talented and tough Alabama team, we have to bounce back and get on the road and go play a team that we feel has a great deal of potential and has won some big games at home, including coming back from a 21-point deficit against a league-leading Kentucky to win a basketball game,” said LSU Coach Johnny Jones. “We know how capable they are and what a tough team they will be to contend against on the road. We certainly look forward to the challenge Saturday against Tennessee.”
Simmons leads the Tigers at 19.3 points per game, 12.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists as he attempts to become the first SEC player to finish in the top five in those three statistical categories. Keith Hornsby, who had 18 points in the Alabama game, is averaging 13.8 points per game, while Victor is at 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds a contest.
LSU will play the second game of the swing on Tuesday night at Arkansas.
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