Florida @ Louisiana State preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2019 ) Florida 76, Louisiana State 73

LSU sits alone on top of the SEC with five straight victories - four of them by four points or fewer - to open the season and the Tigers look to continue the run when improving Florida pays a visit on Tuesday night. LSU opened the league slate with a 14-point win at Tennessee before grinding out four more victories, the past two on the road at Texas A&M in overtime and at Ole Miss (80-76) on Saturday.

"I’m not surprised because of the work we put in and the way we’ve executed at the end of games,” Tigers senior guard Skylar Mays told reporters of the fast start. “I’m really proud of our guys and the trust we have in each other.” LSU has won six straight games overall with its balanced offense - which boasts five players averaging at least 11.7 points - and the Tigers hope to continue the trend against a Florida team that has beaten them four of the last five meetings following a 76-73 triumph in the SEC tournament quarterfinals last season. The Gators have won five of the last six contests overall after producing of their best defensive effort of the season Saturday afternoon, limiting then-No. 4 Auburn to 25.5 percent shooting from the field in a 69-47 triumph at home. “I guess this shows what we’re potentially capable of,” Florida coach Mike White told reporters. “I don’t think that was Auburn’s best performance, but I don’t want to take anything away from our guys. We’re such a young team that I don’t know how many of those we’ll get.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT FLORIDA (12-5, 4-1 SEC): Freshman Omar Payne added a spark in Saturday’s victory with season highs of 19 points - almost 14 more than his average - along with 11 rebounds, and the 6-10 forward is 13-for-13 from the field the past two games. “Great on both ends of the floor,” Gators leading scorer (14.8) and rebounder (8.9) Kerry Blackshear Jr. told reporters of Payne on Saturday. “His energy was great. We fed off his energy. He was a big reason why we were able to get this win.” Sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson (12.5 points) and sophomore guard Andrew Nembhard (10.8 points, team-high 5.9 assists) also contribute.

ABOUT LSU (13-4, 5-0): Mays leads the way for the Tigers, averaging 15.9 points and a team-best 2.0 steals, while sophomore guard Darius Days paces the team in rebounding (8.1) and chips in 11.9 points per game. Sophomore Emmitt Williams (13.4 points, 6.5 boards), along with freshman Trendon Watford (12.6, 6.9), are the top threats inside and sophomore point guard Javonte Smart (11.7 points, team-high 4.6 assists) scored 38 total in the past two contests. Junior guard Charles Manning Jr., a key performer off the bench averaging 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds, is lost for at least a month with a foot injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Florida sophomore G Noah Locke (10.2 points) is shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range, including 18-for-35 the last six games.

2. LSU senior G Marlon Taylor scored a season-high 13 points versus Ole Miss and pulled down six rebounds.

3. The Tigers entered the week second in the league in rebound margin (plus-7.2) and Florida is fourth (plus-5.5).

PREDICTION: Florida 75, LSU 71