The LSU Tigers (12-6, 1-5 SEC) will try to break down one of the NCAA’s top scoring defenses when they host the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers (15-3, 5-1 SEC) on Saturday. Tennessee topped the Mississippi State Bulldogs 70-59 at Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday, their third win in a row away from home.
Zakai Zeigler was the standout player with 24 points and six rebounds. The Volunteers slipped to fourth in the Southeastern Conference. LSU lost their fifth in a row in blowout fashion on Wednesday at Pete Maravich Assembly Center, falling to the Auburn Tigers 67-49.
KJ Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort, carrying the team. The Tigers are 12th in the Southeastern Conference.It’s the only meeting of the season between the teams. Tennessee and LSU split their matchups last season, each team winning one game.
The Volunteers took the last meeting 64-50 at Thompson-Boling Arena in January 2022. Santiago Vescovi led the Volunteers with 16 points and six rebounds. Tari Eason had 16 points in the loss. Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8 ppg), Vescovi (10.8), and Zeigler (10.6) have led the Volunteers in scoring this season.
Zeigler also has dished 4.5 assists per game. Meanwhile, Julian Phillips is grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. Williams’ 17.9 points per game have powered the Tigers on offense. Williams also has pulled down 7.3 rebounds per game. Justice Hill has doled out 3.3 assists per game.
The Volunteers are holding opponents to 54.3 points per game, ranking as one of the top scoring defenses in the nation (2nd).In the last 10 games, Tennessee is 8-2 with an average margin of +16.9 (73.4-56.5).
LSU has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 71.6 points per game on average while scoring only 65.8 (-5.8 margin). The Tigers are averaging 68.6 ppg for the full season while allowing 67.1.
VOLUNTEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Josiah-Jordan James: 14.0 | 8.1 | +5.9
Tyreke Key: 8.4 | 12.8 | -4.4
Points per game:
Tyreke Key: 4.8 | 8.6 | -3.8
Rebounds per game:
Jonas Aidoo: 3.6 | 4.9 | -1.3
Assists per game:
Zakai Zeigler: 7.6 | 4.5 | +3.1
TIGERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Justice Hill: 5.8 | 11.7 | -5.9
Points per game:
Justice Hill: 2.4 | 6.6 | -4.2
Rebounds per game:
KJ Williams: 5.4 | 7.3 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Justice Hill: 1.6 | 3.3 | -1.7
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Tennessee -11.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
