LSU Tigers (15-9, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (18-6, 7-4 Southeastern Conference)
When/Where: 12 p.m. at Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Television: CBS.
Spero Dedes, play-by-play. Doug Gottlieb, analyst.
Radio: LSU Sports Radio Network, LSUsports.net
Jim Hawthorne, play-by-play. Ricky Blanton, analyst. Kevin Ford, host.
Things to watch for: The Aggies are deep into a four-game losing streak against SEC opponents. LSU — which is tied for the top seed in the conference with Kentucky and South Carolina — is dwindling off an 11-point loss at South Carolina on Wednesday. Last time out, Ben Simmons said Texas A&M’s big men were “more physical” than the Tiger interiors. Simmons and Victor, LSU’s starting forwards, were sidelined for most of the first half in round one against the Aggies with two fouls, but Victor is confident the Tigers will turn the tide against the Aggies in round two. “We’ll take care of that,” Victor said. “Most definitely.”
FINAL: LSU 76, Texas A&M 71.
– Saturday’s win against a demising Texas A&M team was huge for #LSU. Craig Victor, again, was key for the Tigers rout. He, along with Antonio Blakeney, Keith Hornsby and Ben Simmons played all 20 minutes of the second half. Tim Quarterman found life in the second half, but sat for two minutes in the final haul.
Live Updates: 10:10, 2nd. LSU 53, Texas A&M 50.
– LSU now has four players in double-figure scoring. The Tigers have commanded a three-point lead, and it’s all Craig Victor’s fault. He has played some of his best basketball this season so far. He has 11 points, and has hit seven of his eight free throws today. LSU has yet to access its bench this half.
Live Updates: LSU 42, Texas A&M 46. 15:36, 2nd.
– There wasn’t much to the start of the second half. Craig Victor being on the floor is clearly huge for LSU. He’s giving the Aggie big men trouble inside, and helps piece together the Tigers offense much better. LSU trails by four, but Texas A&M is headed to the free-throw line after an and-1.
Halftime: LSU 33, Texas A&M 37.
– Since Craig Victor left the first half with 14:50 remaining, Texas A&M went on a 31-19 run. Victor’s presence was certainly missed. LSU shot an abysmal 12-for-33 from the field in the first 20 minutes, and knocked in 2-of-8 3-pointers. Ben Simmons leads all scorers with 10 points, also adding five rebounds. The Tigers seemed inept to finding any rhythm with a suitable replacement lineup — playing 11 different guys in total for the half. LSU, though, is lucky to leave the first half only trailing by four points.
Live Updates: 2:58, 1st. LSU 28, Texas A&M 32.
– Craig Victor is sitting for the half with two fouls, and LSU is feeling the pain from that. Without Victor, LSU is having trouble in all phases. The Tigers’ offense has gone amiss. It’s 10-for-23 from the field, a brutal rate of efficiency — or lack thereof. Regardless, LSU is only trailing by four points, so there’s a positive if there are any positives available at this point.
Live Updates: 7:43, 1st. LSU 22, Texas A&M 24.
– Both teams are shooting 50 percent, or more, from the field. Ben Simmons is heavily involved in LSU’s offense so far. The Aggies are constantly switching in and out of different defenses. LSU’s responding well. A couple 3-pointers from the Aggies gave them a two-point lead. But, we’re far from over here.
Live Updates: 14:50, first half. LSU 14, Texas A&M 6.
– LSU forced six Texas A&M turnovers to begin. The Aggies have three team fouls. Ben Simmons heard “76ers, clap, clap, clap” at the free-throw line in the first five minutes of play from the rowdy Aggie faithful. This game has a long way to go, but it’s been interesting so far.
LSU’s last game: 83-94 loss against South Carolina on Feb. 10.
Texas A&M’s last game: 62-63 loss against Alabama on Feb. 10.
LSU’s possible starters (based on last game):
G Tim Quarterman (Jr.): 11.3 point per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr.): 11.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
G Keith Hornsby (Sr.): 13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
F Ben Simmons (Fr.): 19.4 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 5.08 apg
F Craig Victor (So.): 12.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg
LSU’s top reserves:
G Josh Gray (Sr.)
G Jalyn Patterson (So.): 5.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr.)
G Brandon Sampson (Fr.)
F Aaron Epps (So.)
C Elbert Robinson (So.)
Texas A&M’s probable starters (based on last game):
G Anthony Collins (Sr.): 5.1 ppg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 rpg
G Alex Caruso (Sr.): 8.0 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.5 rpg
G Danuel House (Sr.): 15.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
F Tonny Trocha-Morelos (So.): 7.0 ppg
F Tyler Davis (Fr.): 10.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 blocks per game
Reserves:
F Jalen Jones (Sr.): 16.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg
