The University of Arkansas had not lost a home basketball game at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., since LSU beat the Razorbacks on Jan. 11, 2006. But the University of Georgia Bulldogs snapped Arkansas’ streak Wednesday with a 67-64 victory, including three consecutive 3-pointers within the two-minute mark.
“We’re coming off a tough loss,” Arkansas coach Stan Heath said Thursday in the Southeastern Conference teleconference. “Mentally we’ve got to get our edge back.”
LSU (13-4, 2-1) and Arkansas (12-6, 1-3) will meet at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in Fayetteville for the CBS-televised game. Arkansas is ranked last in the SEC West while LSU is ranked first after beating Ole Miss 62-55 on Wednesday.
In the teleconference LSU coach John Brady said his team is struggling with offensive production, but he recognizes strength in defense and rebounding. He said this season’s team lacks the poise and mental toughness that guided last season’s Tigers to the 2006 Final Four.
“Hopefully we can find a rhythm on offense and make some things happen on that end,” Brady said.
Brady said sophomore guard Terry Martin, who recorded 15 points against Ole Miss, adds an additional perimeter threat along with sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell’s consistent scoring. Mitchell led the Tigers with 19 points against Ole Miss.
“Well hopefully if they were a smart team it wouldn’t affect them mentally and they would just come out and play hard,” Mitchell said of Arkansas’ recent loss. “Hopefully it will affect them mentally and allow them to play kinda bad so we can win.”
Heath said he is most concerned with junior forward Glen Davis’ performance. Before the Ole Miss game, Davis averaged 19.2 points per game in 16 games. Davis said double-teaming limited his offensive performance in the Ole Miss game. He scored 11 points in 34 minutes of play.
“This is a big game for us at home, and when you talk about LSU you start with [Glen] Davis,” Heath said. “He creates a lot of problems for you offensively and defensively. Those other guys have done a nice job of being good role players and teammates. We’ve got our hands full.”
Davis said he expects Arkansas to compete with a sense of urgency after three SEC losses.
“They’re going to be ready to play,” Davis said. “It’s going to be tough.”
LSU won both games against Arkansas last season, including a 78-77 thriller on Feb. 8 when former guard Darrel Mitchell hit a 3-pointer to put the Tigers in the lead with 11.2 seconds left in the game.
“We’ve had some great battles with them over the last couple of years,” Heath said. “We’ve got to make sure we step up to the challenge.”
—–Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]