LSU opened up the SEC Tournament with a dominant win over the Missouri Tigers in Tampa. 

LSU started fast, getting out to an early lead, and never looked back, resulting in a 76-68 win. LSU’s defense was stingy all game long and gave Missouri fits under that pressure. The [LSU] Tigers scored 29 off 24 turnovers, which kept Missouri from establishing any kind of rhythm. Missouri ended up shooting just 42% from the field for the game as well, as the Tigers were just unable to consistently get points. 

Missouri went on a small run at the start of the second half, getting within 10 points, but was unable to get any closer. LSU responded, pulling away while never leading by less than 10 points until the final 30 seconds of the game. Offensively, Tari Eason led the way in scoring, but Efton Reid had arguably his best game of the season, finishing with 12 points on 6-6 shooting. LSU had its lulls offensively but shot 56% from the field for the game — which is a promising sign.

LSU is now set to face Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the tournament, a team LSU has lost to twice already this season. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. and will be streaming live on SEC Network.