The Tigers played their final game of the regular season Saturday at the PMAC against Mississippi State. LSU defeated the Bulldogs handily, 78-57, in a game in which LSU shot 48% from 3-point land and 52% overall and really took over in the second half, outscoring Mississippi State 41-25.
With the win the Tigers finish the season 8-10 in SEC play and 17-13 overall, good enough for the 10 seed and a single bye in the SEC Tournament and a quick turnaround rematch against Mississippi State.
LSU will take on Mississippi State at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Thursday night at 6 p.m. CST. With a win the Tigers would move on to the conference quarterfinals against the Tennessee Volunteers, the SEC’s 2 seed who locked up a double bye and a share of the regular season SEC title with a 13-5 conference record. The Volunteers finished tied with the Auburn Tigers but Auburn holds the tiebreaker as they defeated Tennessee in their only matchup of the regular season on January 2.
Should LSU spring the upset over Tennessee, they would likely face Florida in the semifinals, who along with Tennessee and a handful of other SEC schools, is already a sure thing for the NCAA Tournament.
LSU has long since fallen out of the conversation for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, so it will take some magic in St. Louis and the SEC’s automatic bid to land them back in The Big Dance for the first time in three years and only the second time since 2009.
Stay tuned for updates as LSU looks to defy the odds in St. Louis starting Thursday, March 8 at 6 p.m. CST.