Texas A&M has an opportunity to sweep LSU for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign when the two teams square off Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
The Aggies defeated LSU 69-56 on Jan. 7 and are riding the high of their best start through 11 games in SEC play since joining the conference. Texas A&M is 17-7 overall and 9-2 in the league.
It’s the opposite for the Tigers (12-12, 1-10), who have lost 11 consecutive games and are seeking their first win of 2023. Their last victory was Dec. 28 against Arkansas.
LSU is coming off a 64-53 loss to Mississippi State on the road Wednesday night. Coach Matt McMahon saw a few encouraging signs for his team despite another tough night in the gym.
“I thought our half-court defense in the first half was fantastic,” McMahon told reporters. “We were flying around, guys were in gaps. After they hit the two threes to start the game, (Mississippi State) didn’t make another three the rest of the half. The second half, however, our half-court defense really let us down.”
The Tigers are holding opponents to an average of 68.8 points per game but are scoring just 66.5 per outing and have put up 70 or more points only twice during their current losing streak. KJ Williams leads LSU in scoring at 16.5 points per game and has also been a force defensively, blocking 25 shots.
Texas A&M is coming off an 83-78 win over Auburn and has won its last two games. Julius Marble scored a career-high 20 points in the game and is averaging 10 points per outing.
Marble’s shots couldn’t have come at a better time as his personal 6-0 run helped turn a two-point deficit into a four-point edge with two minutes to play.
“I was just seeing a bigger hoop, I guess,” Marble told reporters. “I knew we needed those shots and I knew I could make them. I just had to do my job. I credit the guys for getting me in the right spots.”
Wade Taylor IV is the top scorer for the Aggies at 14.9 points per game.
–Field Level Media
