Different game, same story.
LSU got off to a slow start, only to fight their way back in the second half, but it just wasn’t enough. LSU dropped yet another conference game when they faced Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday.
LSU scored just 25 points in the first half and went into the locker room down 18. In the second half, they were able to put a couple runs together to make it competitive. As has been the trend, LSU just was not able to close the deal.
The Tigers couldn’t keep up with Vanderbilt’s shooting. Vanderbilt sunk 13 shots from behind the arc. LSU made just three. Vanderbilt’s Rodney Chatham scored a game-high 24 points, with 18 of those coming on 3-pointers.
In what shouldn’t be a surprise, LSU was led by Tari Eason, who led LSU with 16 points and five steals. Eric Gaines and Darius Days also scored in double-figures, but Days was just 3-8 from the floor. Days did have another double-double, managing to grab 10 rebounds.
Vanderbilt was also aided by a 17-point performance from Myles Stute and 13 more from Jordan Wright.
This was LSU’s sixth loss in seven games in what has been one of the worst stretches of the Will Wade era. After getting off to one of the best starts in program history, LSU is now 16-6 and 4-6 in SEC play.
At this point, it’s fair to ask if LSU is even a good team right now. The results certainly don’t say so.
LSU is still comfortably in the field of 68 for the NCAA tournament, but this is now a team that has lost back-to-back games to teams in the bottom half of the SEC.
LSU looks incapable of playing a complete game. The Tigers continue to show flashes in the second half, but they also continue to baffle, having stretches where it looks like the offense doesn’t exist.
Next up for LSU is a trip to College Station. LSU needs to win if only just to stop the bleeding.
The lone win LSU has during this brutal stretch came against Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago in the PMAC. It’s a win LSU had to fight for, and it looks like they’ll have to fight again.