Skip to main content
tennessee logo

How To Watch: No. 5 Tennessee at LSU

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•about 8 hours•

GrantRamey

lsu-tigers-updates-mask-recommendation-for-basketball-season-kim-mulkey-will-wade-pete-maravich-assembly-center
John Korduner/Icon Sportswire

Four the fourth time over the last five games, No. 5 Tennessee is back on the road to face LSU Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern Time on SEC Network.

Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) has won five of its last six after winning 77-69 at Texas A&M on Saturday. The lone loss during that stretch was at Kentucky on February 11.

LSU (14-13, 3-11) lost 79-65 at home against Florida on Saturday night, after back wins at Oklahoma and home against South Carolina. The two wins followed a seven-game SEC losing streak and 10 losses over the first 11 games of conference play. 

How To Watch: No. 5 Tennessee at LSU

Start Time: Tuesday, 9 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: SEC Network

Streaming: ESPN App or WatchESPN.com

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 72, LSU 61 (82% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee -10.5 (Total: 137.5)

Series History: Tennessee vs. LSU

Tennessee is 68-50 all time against LSU dating back to 1933 and has won the last three meetings, beating the Tigers 88-68 at Food City Center last season, 77-56 in Baton Rouge in January 2023 and 64-50 in January 2022 in Knoxville. 

Tennessee beat LSU 81-65 in February 2016, in the first year under Rick Barnes, but the Tigers won six of the next seven. 

Last season Dalton Knecht scored a team-high 27 points while adding seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals in 35 minutes. Zakai Zeigler had 17 points, nine assists, five steals and four rebounds. Jordan Gainey scored 18 off the bench. 

A Closer Look: The LSU Tigers

LSU is No. 80 in the NET with a 1-10 record in Quad 1 games, No. 80 in the KenPom.com ratings and 15th in the SEC standings. The Tigers are ranked No. 61 in KenPom defense, giving up 100.9 points per 100 possessions, and No. 100 on offense, scoring 111.3 points per 100 possessions. 

Tennessee moved up to No. 5 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll on Monday. The Vols are also No. 5 in the NET, No. 5 in KenPom (No. 1 defense, No. 29 offense) and the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in ESPN Bracketology. 

LSU’s 3-11 SEC record included seven straight losses between January 18 and February 12. The Tigers have conference wins against Arkansas, 78-84 in Baton Rouge, Oklahoma, 82-79 in Norman, and South Carolina, 81-67 at home. 

Cam Carter leads LSU in scoring at 16.9 points per game, adding 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jordan Sears averages 12.1 points, 2.87 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals and forward Jalen Reed averages 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. 

Matt McMahon, a native of Oak Ridge, Tenn., was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2001-02. He is 45-42 in his third season at LSU with a 14-30 record in SEC play. 

He went 154-67 in seven seasons at Murray State before taking the LSU job, taking the Racers to the NCAA Tournament three times, including two trips to the second round. 

You may also like