The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-5, 0-3 SEC) are nearing must-win territory as they prepare to face the LSU Tigers (11-5, 0-3 SEC) on Tuesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Led by third-year head coach Matt McMahon, the Tigers are off to a similar start to Arkansas in the 2024-25 season. LSU owns wins over teams such as Kansas State, UCF, Florida State, SMU and others with a mix of veterans and underclassmen. LSU is coming off a 17-16 (9-9 SEC) overall season that saw it finish in the first round of the NIT.
Much like the Razorbacks, LSU has started 0-3 in league play with losses to Vanderbilt, Missouri and mutual opponent Ole Miss. If Arkansas, which sports a 10.1% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, per BartTorvik, wants to make the postseason, it'll need its young guards and veteran transfers to do the little things right.
"I think part of it is, if someone doesn’t play well, they can’t get out of their own self’s way," head coach John Calipari said Saturday. "But, you don’t have to play great. You don’t even have to play good, just defend, dive on the floor, talk, be a great teammate, chest bump, get everybody going and you’ll bounce out of that. We haven’t learned that yet. I’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to make some shots. Do I got to play some different people? Probably."
Here's a closer comparison of Arkansas' and LSU's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineup for the Tigers and more ahead of Tuesday's game, which is set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network:
