THE LSU Tigers will find the Arkansas Razorbacks in the semifinal round of the Southeast Conference Tournament on Saturday night.
The Tigers extended their winning streak to three games on Friday, with a quarterfinal victory over Missouri. Meanwhile, Arkansas expelled Ole Miss to reach a SEC game championship game win.
Can Razorbacks stay focused against a concerned LSU team on Saturday night?
Dual power LSU of days to win the quarterfinal round
LSU advanced to the next round in the Big 12 Tournament with a 76-73 victory over Mississippi on Friday night. The second year, Trenton Watford, led the team with 24 points, while Darius Days finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds for Tigers, who lost a double-digit lead before recovering and winning.
🗣️ #BootUp
Tigers are taking their talents to SEMIS!#GeauxTigers x #SECMBB pic.twitter.com/yecQTUiwkE
– Southeast Conference (@SEC) March 13, 2021
Will Wade’s squad reaches the semifinal round with position 29 in the last KenPom ranking, after sneaking past Ole Miss. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi ranked Tigers as No. 7 seed in his latest NCAA Tournament projections.
LSU has been one of the best offensive teams in the country this season. The Tigers scored 120.1 points for 100 possessions in the year (sixth in the NCAA) and a league record of 109.7 points for 100 possessions during the SEC game. The Tigers overturned the ball at a low SEC-16.1 percent of their offensive possessions during the conference season.
In defense, the Tigers gave up 99.9 points for 100 possessions in the year (136th in the NCAA) and 105.1 points for 100 possessions against opponents in the league (ninth in the SEC).
Razorbacks make their way through Missouri
Arkansas overcame an initial deficit of 10 points to topple Missouri 70-64 in the quarterfinal round on Friday. JD Notae scored 27 points and gave four assists to the Razorbacks, who spun the ball more than 20 times in the night.
Have a NIGHT @jdnotae!
27 pts | 4-7 out of three | 4 rebs | 4 asts pic.twitter.com/IuAIsPTR5o
– ESPN 2: 30hsi 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) March 13, 2021
Eric Musselman’s cast reaches the weekend in 19th place in the last KenPom ranking and 8th in the current AP Top-25. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi regards Razorbacks as seed # 3 in his current NCAA Tournament projections.
Arkansas scored 112.9 points for 100 possessions this season (34th in the NCAA) and 106.2 points for 100 possessions against league opponents (third in the SEC). The Razorbacks did a good job taking care of basketball, turning the ball just 17.3% of the time during the conference game (the second in the SEC). They also brought down 75.5% of their free-throw attempts as a team (runner-up to the SEC), which increased their overall offensive rating.
In defense, Arkansas gave up 89.7 points for 100 possessions in the year (16th in the NCAA) and 98.0 points for 100 possessions during the conference game (third in the SEC). Although Razorbacks are eighth in the SEC in percentage of effective field goal defense, they have been able to improve their defensive ranking by limiting opponents to an offensive rebound rate of just 28.1 percent (second in the SEC).