As Arkansas travels south to face LSU tonight in a 7 p.m. Southeastern Conference tilt in the PMAC, the Razorbacks hope their latest southward trend ceases.
Arkansas (13-4, 1-3 SEC) has lost its last three games against SEC opponents after opening its conference schedule with a 69-46 win over Ole Miss in Fayetteville, Ark., at Bud Walton Arena.
The comforting element to that losing streak is all three games were either against ranked teams or on the road, said Razorbacks coach Stan Heath. The Razorbacks lost in a 64-61 victory against No. 22 Alabama at Bud Walton Arena, while losing at Florida 82-74 and on Saturday at No. 17 Mississippi State 80-55.
The Razorbacks also lost to No. 1 Illinois in North Little Rock, Ark., earlier this season by a 72-60 margin.
Heath said he believes Arkansas has more ability to compete in the SEC this year than during his first two seasons at the reins of the program. Arkansas finished with a 4-12 record in conference play each of the previous two seasons.
“We do have the ingredients this year, where I thought the last couple of years we were just under-manned,” Heath said during Monday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference. “We haven’t panicked. We haven’t all of the sudden lost confidence that we can’t compete and challenge in this league.”
LSU coach John Brady said the Tigers need to be alert with a hungry Razorbacks team coming into the PMAC.
“I’m sure with three losses in the league, I’m sure they’re coming in here wanting to win and needing to win,” Brady said.
While LSU has averaged 86 points in its last two games, Arkansas’ defense is second in the SEC and has held its opponents to 60.9 points per game.
Brady said Arkansas’ defensive strength is forcing turnovers — a situation the Tigers need to control by playing smart offense.
“If the last couple of games and playing at home is any indication, we should be OK offensively,” Brady said. “We just can’t allow them to have streaks on us, when we don’t score by allowing them to score by giving them easy baskets.”
Winning on the road is the key to success in the SEC, and a win for the Razorbacks in Baton Rouge tonight would fill that order, Heath said.
“We have to find a way to get tough with a win on the road,” Heath said. “That’s the only way you can contend in this league.”
While Arkansas appears to be in a downward spiral, LSU (8-5, 1-1) has won its last two games at home against South Carolina and Ohio State.
LSU’s 113-101 double overtime win over Ohio State on Saturday was a prime example of how lethal the Tigers offense can be, Heath said.
“I was real impressed watching LSU play against Ohio State the other day,” Heath said. “They put on a clinic offensively. They have a very balanced attack. They’re starting to regroup from the earlier games that they had [this season]. That starting five is as talented as anybody in the league.”
Tigers guard Darrel Mitchell, who scored a career-high 32 points against Ohio State, said he believes the team has the right mindset for tonight’s game.
“[Arkansas is] going to come in here with a tough mindset and try to get a win,” Mitchell said. “We’re a tough team, and we just put the [Ohio State] game behind us. We’re looking forward to Arkansas.”