Louisiana State @ Missouri preview
Mizzou Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2018 ) Missouri 63, Louisiana State 64
LSU looks to remain one of the two unbeaten teams in the SEC standings when it visits Missouri on Saturday. LSU and top-ranked Tennessee are the only teams without a loss in conference play.
LSU has won eight straight games dating to Dec. 12, capturing each of the last three by double digits, but coach Will Wade was discouraged by his team’s defensive effort in Wednesday's 92-82 home victory over Georgia. “We’ll have to do a good job guarding the 3-point line,” Wade told reporters. “It will be tough sledding for us. We’re going to have to guard better than we have in past games. Baskets are not going to come as easy for us.” It has been a rough start to SEC play for Missouri, which has dropped four of its first five conference games after going 6-0 in December. Missouri held a halftime lead Wednesday at Arkansas before fading in the second half of a 72-60 defeat.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network
ABOUT LSU (15-3, 5-0 SEC): The Tigers can light it up offensively, and they’ve been especially efficient in SEC play, averaging 89.2 points through five games. LSU employs a three-guard lineup led by Tremont Waters (14.2 points, six assists) and Skylar Mays (13.3 points), both of whom are disruptive at the defensive end. The Tigers also have a pair of towering freshmen in the 6-10 Naz Reid (13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds) and the 6-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams (7.4, 5.2, 2.2 blocks).
ABOUT MISSOURI (10-7, 1-4): The Tigers lead the SEC in 3-point shooting at 39.2 percent, with the conference’s top long-range shooter Mark Smith leading the way at 47.5 percent. Jordan Geist (13.4 points) and Smith (12.6, 5.5 rebounds) have been the team’s most consistent offensive players, as Jeremiah Tilmon (9.9, 5.8) has battled foul trouble. Missouri has to take better care of the ball, as it is averaging 16.4 turnovers in SEC play.
TIP-INS
1. LSU is trying to improve to 6-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
2. LSU averages 9.8 steals per game, which is tops in the SEC and sixth-best in the nation.
3. Missouri is 10-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.
PREDICTION: LSU 74, Missouri 69