The No. 25 LSU Tigers (16-5, 4-4) are hosting the Ole Miss Rebels (11-10, 2-6) tonight at 9 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
LSU’ Home Advantage
The Tigers are coming off a 77-68 road loss against BIG 12 opponent Texas Christian University. However, LSU is a tough team to beat when playing at home this season. In 13 home games, the Tigers have defeated ranked teams such as Texas State, Kentucky and Tennessee. Their only loss was against Arkansas on Jan. 15 — a game where the Tigers were outscored 34-25 in the second half.
Despite the impressive mark at home, LSU has faced inconsistency issues lately. They have dropped three of their last five SEC games including back-to-back losses at Alabama and Tennessee on Jan. 19 and Jan. 22.
The Tigers’ offense is led by forwards Tari Eason and Darius Day, who are averaging 15.9 and 13.1 points per game respectively. The duo scored 30 combined points against TCU on Jan. 29. As a team, LSU ranks fourth in rebounds per game (39.4) and leads the SEC in steals per game with 11.2. The Tigers will look to put an end to the inconsistency doubts against a weak Mississippi squad.
https://twitter.com/LSUBasketball/status/1488569334414807041
Ole Miss’ Lackluster Season
Ole Miss is having an unremarkable season this year. The Rebels sit toward the bottom of the SEC standings with a 2-6 record and have an 11-10 overall mark. Although they are confident after beating Kansas State, 67-56, on Jan 29, the Rebels have not won a game on the road this season. Their two wins in conference play were over Mississippi State on Jan. 8 and Florida on Jan. 24. Both wins were by 10 points or more.
In the SEC, Mississippi ranks 12th in rebounds (34.8) and 13th in points per game (67.3). Three of the Rebels’ best players — Jarkel Joiner, Daeshun Ruffin and Matthew Murrell — are averaging double digits in scoring. The team will rely on a strong performance from the trio to defeat LSU.
https://twitter.com/OleMissMBB/status/1488195522577973255