The rough patch continued for LSU on Saturday. Hosting No. 9 Tennessee, LSU lost its sixth straight game. It’s the fifth in a row the Tigers have dropped by double-digits.
The game was out of reach at half, with LSU scoring just 22 points in the first 20 minutes.
Again, it was [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] leading LSU in scoring. LSU struggled from behind the arch and repeatedly turned the ball over.
The Tigers began conference play with a win over Arkansas — a victory that offered some hope for a program in a rebuilding year. Any optimism created from that win has faded and LSU is now 1-6 in conference play.
Halftime. pic.twitter.com/MKiDHHrgEI
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) January 21, 2023
TV timeout: #LSU trails Tennessee 75-50 with 3:33 left to play.
The Tigers have actually shot the ball better in this game (49%) but have committed 19 turnovers leading to 33 second chance points.
— Koki Riley (@KokiRiley) January 21, 2023
Before the year, LSU was seen as a team with an outside chance of making the tournament. Its Matt McMahon’s first year and the cast is almost entirely new, but there’s talent there.
That talent is not gelling, at least at the pace it needs to compete in the SEC. Tennessee, No. 2 in KenPom, was the best team LSU faced all year.
This is the toughest stretch of the schedule and it continues with Arkansas on the road next. LSU will then get chances against Texas Tech and Missouri. The Tigers will be underdogs against both, but they’re not the gauntlet that LSU is currently dealing with.
On another note, the LSU football recruiting class was introduced at halftime.
LSU 2023 class introduced at the PMAC https://t.co/L4ZLZ3Buf9 pic.twitter.com/SC1rpaBNOr
— Glen West (@glenwest21) January 21, 2023
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