When the LSU men’s basketball team settles in for the tip against Arkansas tonight in the PMAC, it might as well be looking in a mirror.

The Tigers (16-9, 7-7 Southeastern Conference) and the Razorbacks (17-10, 8-6 SEC) are nearly identical in many phases of the game. Arkansas shoots only 1.2 percent better and scores just three more points per game than LSU, while the Tigers pull down 3.5 more rebounds than the Razorbacks.

But the most obvious similarity between the two teams is their style of play. Both squads run the floor on offense and often employ the press on defense, which results in numerous forced turnovers. However, LSU coach Johnny Jones cited depth as a key difference between the two defenses.

“[Arkansas] is a little different because of their ability to scramble,” Jones said. “The way that they press, it’s a little bit different than what we do. They’ve got about 10 or 12 guys that they generally like to play that way. For us, at certain times of the game, we’ll get into our press. We don’t have the numbers to extend it the way that they’ve done.”

Despite the disparity in depth, LSU forces 15.4 turnovers a game in comparison with the Razorbacks’ 17.6 per game. More often than not, the Tigers produce their turnovers through steals, and sophomore guard Anthony Hickey has made it into an art as the nation’s steals leader with 3.3 per game.

Both units struggle away from home, as Arkansas brings a dismal 1-7 road record into Wednesday’s matchup. But the Razorbacks boast a 16-1 home mark, including an 11-point victory against then-No. 2 Florida. 

LSU is no different, as it sports a 13-2 record in the PMAC but has dropped seven of 10 games on the road. Players credited the gap in performance to the competitiveness of the conference.

“The SEC is crazy,” said sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III. “So many teams are up and down. … Teams like Arkansas are very good at home and then have a lot of road losses. It’s just a part of the SEC. Anything can happen when you’ve got a bunch of good teams in the conference.”

The Tigers seem to have cured their midseason shooting woes, shooting 47.8 percent over the last four contests. LSU won three of those four games and continues to work its way back into the middle of the SEC standings.

“I think we’ve been gelling as a family and as a team, having each other’s backs on the defensive end and the offensive end,” said junior guard Andre Stringer. “I think we’ve just been learning how to take advantage of what the defense gives us.”

Who: LSU (16-9, 7-7 SEC) vs. Arkansas (17-10, 8-6 SEC)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: PMAC
Watch/Listen at: SEC Network, 98.1 FM