LSU Basketball Defeats the Odds, Comes back and Wins in Kentucky
No. 19 LSU Basketball (19-4, 10-1) came back and defeated No. 5 Kentucky in Rupp Arena. The Tigers snapped the Wildcats 10 game win streak and shook up the college basketball world Tuesday evening.
The Tigers showed that they’re not afraid of a tough crowd Tuesday evening. With a full Rupp Arena, LSU went in there, came back and defeated No. 5 Kentucky 73-71.
Skylar Mays hit a layup with time expiring and the ball fell into the net. The referees took a look to see if LSU got the shot off and the Tigers did.
However, the call was slightly controversial because the Tigers could have gotten offensive goaltending, but the refs couldn’t review that.
LSU did something that not a lot of people thought could happen. According to Todd Politz, the LSU Athletics Director of Digital Media, it hadn’t happened but six times in the last 50 trips to Rupp Arena. The last time the Tigers won in Lexington was in 2009, a decade ago.
In the past 52 seasons, @LSUbasketball had 3 @SEC road wins when trailing by 8+ at halftime. The 2019 Tigers have done so twice in the past 6 days. #LSU https://t.co/6OPF4Z6km0
— Todd Politz (@tpolitz) February 13, 2019
However, the stats get even more interesting. The last time LSU defeated a ranked opponent was Jan. 28, 1980 against Kentucky.
This win is monumental for the Tigers and especially for fairly new head coach Will Wade. It’s the first signature and true road win for the coach and expect many to come. After a year and a half, he coached a team that beat Kentucky, IN KENTUCKY.
Wade and his Tigers are now 6-0 in SEC games on the road which isn’t an easy thing to do.
The only way to describe this win is incredible. One of the best basketball games I have witnessed all season long. However, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to come back and get their 19th win of the season.
The Tigers also didn’t have to depend on just one or two guys to lead the way. LSU had four different players score in double-digit points. Four Tigers had at least four rebounds and there were five different players that made at least one three-pointer.
More from Southbound and Down
- Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- 3 Up’s, 3 Down’s from Georgia’s 24-14 Win Over South Carolina
- Ole Miss Football: Looking back at the Rebels career of Zedrick Woods
- Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- “Horns Down” will not be a Penalty in the SEC
Tremont Waters did lead the way with 15 points, five assists, three steals, and one rebound. And that was an off night for the sophomore.
Despite having foul trouble, and sitting out a majority of the second half, Naz Reid had 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals and made 5-10 from the floor and 2-4 from the arch. He made a clutch three-pointer before a media timeout that ultimately gave the Tigers the momentum to finish the game strong.
Similar to how LSU has played all season long, the first half wasn’t the best performance. However, during the second half, the team comes alive and dominates.
With the largest deficit of the game being nine points, the Tigers never looked like they were behind. They played their game and outworked Kentucky.
In the second half, the Tigers outrebounded the Wildcats 18-16, made more free throws than Kentucky 10-6, blocked two key Wildcat shots, and the LSU bench outscored Kentucky’s 12-2. During the second half, the Tigers just flat out wanted it more.
LSU got the key win that it needed heading into the final stretch of the season. Earlier this week I wrote an opinion piece about how LSU was the second-best team in the league and the true test would be on Tuesday.
Well, the Tigers are now sitting in the sole No.2 spot in SEC rankings behind the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
Related Story. LSU Basketball is the Second Best Team in the SEC. light
Outside of the home game against Tennessee, LSU has a manageable schedule that could help them finish out and get a high seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have two matchups against Florida and a road game in Alabama.
Besides those three games, the Tigers could very well go into the SEC Tournament with one maybe two losses in league play.
Next. LSU Basketball Nabs SEC Freshman and Player of the Week Honors. dark
LSU proved Tuesday night it is the second best team in the SEC, and possibly the best if the Tigers can manage to upset Tennessee. Regardless, the Tigers have this connection with each other and if it stays like that, they will be unstoppable.