The LSU men’s basketball team is in Tuscaloosa this evening to lock horns with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The season is still young, but the Tigers cannot afford a loss.
Matt McMahon’s squad desperately needs a big conference win to boost his transitioning program. A Saturday night win over the Alabama men’s basketball team will accomplish such. The Crimson Tide are 5-1 in SEC play and coming off a big win over No. 8 Auburn on Wednesday. Tonight, Alabama is back on their home floor with LSU men’s basketball in town.
Here are the game’s details.
LSU Tigers (11-8) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (13-6)
Game time: Saturday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. CST
Location: Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Television: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ (Requires cable, satellite, or streaming TV service subscription)
Radio: Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge / LSU Sports Radio Network
LSU vs. South Carolina odds: FanDuel lists the Tigers as +12.5 point underdogs with a +660 money line. The over/under is currently set at 161.5 points.
The spread says it all; few expect an LSU men’s basketball victory this evening. Such is supported by ESPN’s matchup predictor, a tool that lists the Tigers’ chances of a winning as 7.2%.
Unfortunately, LSU is trending down via back-to-back SEC losses. Such includes Wednesday’s last-second loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.
McMahon’s team started conference play strong, earning wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. However, the LSU men’s basketball team continues to struggle closing games against the sport’s more polished lineups. But if there’s a silver lining, the Tigers are keep most games close.
Except for a 93-78 loss at Auburn, LSU has played all SEC opponents tough this season. It’s an improvement over the disjointed results we witnessed from McMahon’s program last season. Indeed, the Tigers remain a work in progress, but the time is now to begin bucking trends.
One trend LSU must alter is beating Alabama on the road. The Tide have won 7-of-the-last-8 meetings with the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.
Getting a win tonight requires LSU to rebound and keep up with Alabama’s stellar guards.