LSU Tigers at No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks
When/Where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Bud Walton Arena | Fayetteville, Arkansas
Television: ESPN
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
Last Meeting: LSU fell to Arkansas, 81-70, in the Tigers’ last visit to Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 14, 2014. LSU outscored Arkansas 42-20 in the paint, but the Razorbacks drained 10 of their 17 shots from 3-point range to overcome a second-half deficit and split the season series.
LSU’s last game: After going into halftime tied at 33, the Tigers fell victim to the sharpshooting of Tennessee and dropped their home finale, 78-63, Wednesday in the PMAC. It was LSU’s largest margin of defeat this season and first double-digit loss of the year.
Arkansas’ last game: After building a 20-point lead in the first half, the Razorbacks couldn’t fight off South Carolina, which turned its 20-point deficit into a 71-60 lead with 7:20 to go. But Arkansas outscored the Gamecocks 18-3 over the final 5:49 to notch its eighth victory in the last nine games.
Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 Southeastern Conference)
Possible Starters and Top Reserves
Sophomore [F] Bobby Portis (6’11’’): 17.7 ppg, 29.3 mpg, 8.5 rpg, 56.2% FG (218-388).
Senior [F] Alandise Harris (6’6’’): 7.5 ppg, 20.6 mpg, 3.0 rpg, 47.3% FG (80-169).
Junior [G] Michael Qualls (6’6’’): 15.3 ppg, 29.9 mpg, 5.4 rpg, 41.8% FG (141-337).
Senior [G] Rashad Madden (6’5’’): 9.9 ppg, 27.1 mpg, 4.8 apg, 38.7% 3-point FG (41-106).
Junior [G] Anthlon Bell (6’3’’): 8.2 ppg, 18.6 mpg, 1.4 rpg, 35.7% 3-point FG (55-154).
Freshman [G] Anton Beard (6’0’’): 6.1 ppg, 18.0 mpg, 1.9 rpg, 41.0% FG (59-144).
Junior [F] Jacorey Williams (6’8’’): 5.3 ppg, 16.4 mpg, 2.9 rpg, 41.5% FG (68-164).
LSU (21-9, 10-7 SEC)
Possible Starters and Top Reserves
Sophomore [G] Tim Quarterman (6’6’’): 11.7 ppg, 33.5 mpg, 5.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, 43.0% FG (117-272).
Freshman [G] Jalyn Patterson (6’0’’): 6.0 ppg, 23.4 mpg, 2.4 rpg, 34.4 % 3-point FG (33-96).
Junior [G] Keith Hornsby (6’4’’): 13.2 ppg, 35.3 mpg, 4.2 rpg, 39.3% 3-point FG (66-168).
Sophomore [F] Jarell Martin (6’10’’): 16.6 ppg, 34.5 mpg, 9.0 rpg, 51% FG (180-353).
Sophomore [F] Jordan Mickey (6’8’’): 16.0 ppg, 35.4 mpg, 9.9 rpg, 3.6 bpg, 51.7% FG (187-363).
Junior [G] Josh Gray (6’1’’): 7.3 ppg, 25.3 mpg, 2.3 rpg, 39.8% FG (78-196).
Sophomore [C] Darcy Malone (7’0’’): 1.0 ppg, 8.3 mpg, 1.3 rpg, 44.4% FG (8-18).
Sophomore [F] Brian Bridgewater (6’5’’): 2.2 ppg, 6.1 mpg, 0.9 rpg, 55.3% FG (26-47).
Three things to watch for
Mickey slowing down
After playing himself into contention for SEC Player of the Year for much of the season, LSU forward Jordan Mickey’s sophomore campaign has spiraled down.
Mickey is averaging just 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in his last five games, and he hasn’t tallied more than 14 points or eight boards during that span.
But Mickey’s unspectacular play could be due to injuries. Mickey sprained his ankle against Mississippi State on Jan. 31. The Dallas native then banged his left shoulder during the Tigers’ 78-63 loss to Tennessee on Wednesday and stayed on the floor several minutes before getting up.
The 6-foot-8 Mickey has played more than 1,000 minutes in consecutive seasons, and this year’s he averaging 35.4 minutes per game.
Portis is the key
LSU features one of the SEC’s top forward duos in Mickey and sophomore forward Jarell Martin, but Arkansas boasts one of the league’s top players — sophomore forward Bobby Portis.
Portis is second in the SEC in scoring at 17.5 points per game, but he’s bumped up that average to 18.1 points a night in league play. Portis has also posted 10 double-doubles, with eight coming in league play.
The 6-foot-11 Portis scored a season-low six points against North Texas on Nov. 28, 2014, but it was an anomaly in an otherwise dominant offensive season for the Arkansas native. Portis has reached double figures in 29 of 30 games this season, including the last 25.
Portis erupted for 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting in the Razorbacks’ 78-74 victory against South Carolina on Thursday. It was Portis’ 11th 20-point affair of the season, and Arkansas is 9-2 when he reaches that mark.
High-scoring night
With two of the top three scoring clubs in the SEC on the same court, Saturday’s contest promises to be an offensive display.
The Razorbacks, who have reached the 80-point barrier 16 times this season, are averaging a league-best 79.1 points per game. LSU, which has tailed off a bit after early offensive success, is still third in the SEC at 73.6 points per game.
But it’s not individual basketball producing the high-scoring nights — both squads are reliant on getting the entire team involved in the action. Arkansas and LSU rank first and second in the SEC in assists with 16.9 and 15.8 assists per game, respectively.
Despite their offensive success, the Tigers are coming off their second-lowest point total in SEC play this season (63 against Tennessee on Wednesday) while the Razorbacks have scored at least 75 in five of their last seven games, including a 78-point night against South Carolina.