LSU basketball has a lot on the line this week
Will Wade and LSU dropped to 15-2 last Saturday after losing to Arkansas. It was a tough game where LSU just could not drum up enough offense to get the win.
That said, it’s a game LSU should have won against a team they should have beat. Xavier Pinson remained out with a knee injury, but LSU needed to overcome that at home.
It doesn’t get any easier from here. In fact, this is probably LSU’s toughest week of the regular season. It starts on Tuesday with a trip to face Alabama and concludes in Knoxville on Saturday against Tennessee.
Alabama and Tennessee aren’t world beaters. At the moment, each have their own share of issues. At the same time, each remain ranked in the top 20 by KenPom and playing on the road is never easy.
Alabama has lost three in a row. They will be desperate on Tuesday night when LSU comes to town. A loss would drop them to just 11-7 on the year and 2-4 in conference.
Unlike LSU, offense is not that much of a concern for Alabama. The Crimson Tide have still managed to score at least 76 points in those three losses. That’s a total LSU has only hit once in conference play.
If LSU comes out flat against a Alabama team that can score, LSU will lose this game. LSU’s defense will prevent challenges to Alabama that they haven’t faced yet, but that can only do so much.
LSU’s offense now sits outside the top 100 in KenPom. That’s not good for a team that wants to make a run into March. They need to improve and it needs to start this week.
The trip to Knoxville is a rematch with LSU beating Tennessee 79-67 on January 8th. A 12-point victory against a top 20 team is one of the stronger bullet points on LSU’s resume thus far.
Tennessee faces Vanderbilt on Tuesday as they try to erase the drubbing they took at the hands of Kentucky their last time out.
As seen last time they faced, LSU matches up well with Tennessee. LSU’s defense will be the best unit on the court and have a chance to minimize any inefficiencies presented by the offense. It’s still a contest where a win will be tough to come by.
There’s a real chance LSU goes 0-2 this week. Even a 1-1 split would help their resume more than hurt it. 2-0 would put LSU right back in the one seed conversation. There’s a lot at stake here.
These are the moments where good teams prove they are good. It’s an opportunity for LSU to not just get back on track, but really add to their resume and remain in the SEC title race.
