LSU has lost two games in a row and eight of its last 12 to slide into the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference standings.
But that’s nothing compared to the struggles that Missouri has experienced this season.
The two sets of Tigers will meet Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La. LSU (19-9, 7-8 SEC) is still in position to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, but Missouri (10-18, 4-11) is not.
LSU led No. 6 Kentucky by eight points at halftime, but couldn’t hold off a Wildcats second-half push in a 71-66 loss Wednesday night in Lexington, Ky.
“Obviously a tale of two halves,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “We just didn’t play a complete game, which is what you have to do if you’re going to win on the road in this league.”
It was the fifth consecutive game in which LSU has allowed 40-plus points in the second half. It has allowed an average of 45.4 points in those second halves.
“We just can’t sustain that,” Wade said. “Our offense is not good enough to overcome that.”
Xavier Pinson, a transfer from Missouri, led LSU with a season-high 26 points against Kentucky.
His former team has lost four games in a row and nine of its past 11.
“Nobody wants to continue to lose,” said Javon Pickett, who scored a team-high 16 points in an 80-61 home loss to No. 17 Tennessee on Tuesday. “There are places where we can see growth. Of course, you want to go out there and win. We’ve just got to continue to work hard.”
It was the 10th time this season that the Tigers have lost by 17 or more points.
The four-game losing streak took place over the course of just eight days, a grind that was made worse by the fact that Missouri is down to just eight players after a series of injuries and a transfer.
“You don’t make an excuse,” coach Cuonzo Martin said. “You keep pushing.”
–Field Level Media
