The Tigers had momentum on their side going into Saturday’s road matchup against South Carolina. They had won their last three contests after a rough stretch in the middle of conference play.
That momentum was lost in Columbia, though, as the Gamecocks orchestrated a come-from-behind 77-75 win to stun LSU. That Quadrant 2 loss won’t look great on the resume, but it doesn’t seem to have made much of an impact on the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament case.
Their placement in the latest update to the NET Rankings remains unchanged after the loss, and the team still sits at No. 16. LSU hasn’t been ranked lower than No. 16 in the NET this season, and its placement in the rankings hasn’t changed since Feb. 5.
Most of the metrics are in basic agreement about this team. It ranks 17th in the KenPom and 15th in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. The Tigers are considered an essential lock to make the tournament with five Quadrant 1 wins, no Quadrant 4 losses and just three defeats in the Quadrant 2 and 3 categories. Most projections show this team as a No. 6 seed.
The remaining schedule features some tricky games, most notably the next one up on the road against a Kentucky team that LSU beat in Baton Rouge. The Tigers still also have a road matchup with a scrappy Arkansas team that has now beaten Auburn and Tennessee, and they finish the regular season with a home matchup against Alabama.
While this team is feeling good about its postseason chances, a lot could still change in terms of seeding, both in the SEC Tournament in Tampa and in March Madness.
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