Rick Barnes reveals what stands out about LSU

No. 6 Tennessee is readying for its next conference test, this time going against an LSU squad that will arrive in town in Knoxville riding a little wave of momentum.

LSU is fresh off a blowout of Arkansas, one in which LSU scored 95 points. The Tigers have been scoring quite a bit lately, boasting a top-100 scoring offense nationally.

“Very explosive team. Very difficult to guard,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “A lot like Kentucky, can make extremely difficult shots even if you guard them. Really good schemes. He gets the matchups that he wants.”

Tennessee bounced back nicely from a loss to South Carolina by toppling No. 10 Kentucky convincingly at Rupp Arena. The Volunteers will be looking to carry that momentum over to the mid-week as they compete for the SEC crown.

Just one game out of first place right now, Tennessee has eyes on winning the league.

Managing games like LSU is one of the real keys; you can’t afford to trip up against teams in the bottom third of the league. Even if they’re playing good basketball right now.

“Well coach (Matt) McMahon has done a good job,” Barnes said. “I mean he’s been successful everywhere he’s been. Able to build his roster. He walked into a very difficult situation a year ago, but was able to use the portal to get what he felt like he needed to continue to build the program the way he wants to build it.”

The chief threats for LSU are a pair of guards that average an identical 15.5 points per game: Jalen Cook and Jordan Wright. Both can be lethal when they’re on.

LSU does a nice job sharing the rebounding load on the team, with no player averaging more than 5.2 boards per game.

That kind of versatility means you need to be ready for anything on any given night when taking on the Tigers. Numerous players can pop off at any point.

“He’s done a really good job putting together a group of guys that, first of all, they’ve played in big games,” Barnes said. “They’ve been in big games. So like every night in this league, if you’re not ready to play it can be a long night for you.”

The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday from Tennessee, with a broadcast slated for the SEC Network.