Arkansas @ Louisiana State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Arkansas 90, Louisiana State 89

The backcourt duo of junior Mason Jones and sophomore Isaiah Joe lead the way for Arkansas as the Razorbacks aim to extend their winning streak to five games and start the SEC season 2-0 when they visit LSU on Wednesday night. Jones and Joe each poured in 17 points while Arkansas forced 17 turnovers in Saturday’s 69-59 victory over Texas A&M to open its league slate.

Jones is averaging 24.8 points, starting with 41 against Tulsa on Dec. 14, and Joe 20.5 over the past four games as the Razorbacks rebounded from their lone loss to Western Kentucky 86-79 in overtime on Dec. 7. “Isaiah and Mason are going to have the ball in their hands the last eight minutes we play that’s a tight game,” Arkansas first-year coach Eric Mussleman told reporters. “That’s just how it’s going to be every game. We’re going to make the opposition figure out how to get the ball out of their hands.” This could be the biggest test yet for the talented backcourt when it faces LSU, which opened its league season with an impressive 78-64 victory at Tennessee on Saturday as sophomore guard Javonte Smart dropped in a season-high 21 points. “We made some big plays and were able to withstand (their) run, and things kind of evened out a little bit in the second half and we were able to pull away,” Tigers coach Will Wade told reporters. “(It was) a good road win for us and a good way to get conference season started.”

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT ARKANSAS (12-1, 1-0 SEC): Jones tops the team in scoring (19.5), rebounds (6.2), assists (2.8) and steals (1.9) while Joe adds 17.4 points per game and boasts a team-high 50 made 3-pointers. Senior guard Jimmy Whitt Jr., a transfer from SMU, adds 13.4 points per contest and sophomore backcourt mate Desi Sills is the fourth player averaging in double figures scoring (10.0), but contributes in many ways. “He does so much,” Musselman told reporters of Sills, who scored 13 versus Texas A&M. “He’s always a scoring threat. I think he’s done a much better job this year than he did last year taking the ball to the basket.”

ABOUT LSU (9-4, 1-0): The Tigers boast balanced scoring with five players between 15.9 and 11 points per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field - easily the best in the conference - but have lost by two points three times. Senior guard Skylar Mays, who shoots 52.5 percent from the field, had 17 points against Tennessee to push his team-leading average to 15.9 and Smart tops the team in assists (5.1) to go along with 11 points per game. Sophomore forward Emmitt Williams is second on the team in scoring (13.5) and shoots 64.2 percent from the floor, but is averaging just 6.7 points the past three contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. LSU sophomore F Darius Days averages 12.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting and leads the team in rebounding (8.0)

2. Arkansas senior F Adrio Bailey has at least one block in 12 of 13 games and is seventh in the league at 1.77 per outing.

3. Tigers freshman F Trendon Watford had 15 points and eight boards Saturday, coming up just short of a third double-double.

PREDICTION: LSU 68, Arkansas 66