Louisiana State @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 29, 2020 ) Alabama 76, Louisiana State 90

With a matchup on the horizon against one of the two teams it is currently tied with atop the SEC standings, LSU will try to focus on matters at hand when it visits Alabama on Saturday. The Tigers, who host No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday, snapped a two-game slide with an 82-78 win over Missouri on Tuesday to stay tied for first with the Wildcats and No. 11 Auburn.

"We just needed to find a way to win at the end of the day," LSU coach Will Wade told reporters after his team rallied from eight points down in the final 10 minutes. "Missouri is always a tough matchup for us, as physical as they are. We did a better job guarding in the second half. We did a better job on the glass. We got the stops and got done what we needed to get done." Senior guard Skylar Mays scored 23 points in the win after recording 30 in an overtime loss to Auburn his previous time out. The Crimson Tide were in NCAA Tournament bubble discussions before a 1-4 swoon, which includes their own overtime loss to Auburn in which they set SEC marks for 3-pointers made (22) and attempted (59). "We just have to figure out how to get stops and figure out how to play a full 40 minutes," coach Nate Oats told the media. "We're capable of beating anyone in the league when we're playing for 40 minutes."

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT LSU (18-6, 9-2 SEC): Sophomore forward Darius Days had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Missouri for his first double-double since Jan. 8. He ranks fifth in the league with 7.5 boards per game while Mays is tied for second among SEC players with two steals per contest. Sophomore guard Javonte Smart contributed 15 points Tuesday and is averaging 15.8 over a four-game span, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor in three of those affairs.

ABOUT ALABAMA (13-11, 5-6): Sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr. ranks in the top five in the SEC in scoring (17.1) and assists (5.1) after recording his first career triple-double at Auburn (10 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds). Junior guard John Petty Jr. is second on the team's scoring list at 15.5 after finishing with 20 in Wednesday's loss. Freshman guard Jaden Shackelford scored 28 points for the second time in his last four games and is averaging 19.8 over a five-game stretch while making 21 made 3-pointers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Crimson Tide senior G James Bolden was 4-of-17 from the floor Wednesday and is shooting 26.6 percent over his last eight games.

2. The Tigers had a season-low seven assists in Tuesday's win while making a season-high 29 free throws in 34 attempts.

3. LSU sophomore F Emmitt Williams scored 23 points in a 90-76 home win over Alabama on Jan. 29, the Tigers' third straight victory in the series.

PREDICTION: Alabama 86, LSU 83