LSU Basketball Drops Heartbreaker Down Stretch to No. 14 Arkansas 77-76
LSU put itself in prime position but foul calls and paint struggles piled up and were the ultimate difference makers in a 77-76 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
With Jaylin Williams dominating inside the paint and giving the Razorbacks a myriad of second-chance buckets, the Tigers were left with no answer for the sophomore forward.
An abysmal shooting performance by Arkansas out the gate, SEC Player of the Year candidate JD Notae let his playmaking ability give the Razorbacks a boost. Creating for others and operating out of the pick and roll, his vision had the Tigers lost.
Blitzing Notae every time he crossed half court opened up the game for other Razorbacks to make plays. LSU head coach Will Wade simply was willing to have Arkansas put the ball in other hands, reluctant to let Notae beat the Tigers singlehandedly.
“We didn’t want to let [Notae] beat us,” Will Wade said after the game. “Stanley Umude made some huge shots, but we wanted to do a better job on Notae. We did a terrible job on him the first game… We wanted to make sure we really limited Notae and I thought we did that for a majority of the night.”
Senior guard Stanley Umude picked up the slack for the Razorbacks when they needed buckets the most. An efficient shooting night, Umude got his buckets when Notae couldn’t get anything rolling, finishing with 23 points.
Despite inconsistent guard play, Williams’ paint presence is what set the tone for Arkansas, getting into a rhythm early. Bullying inside the paint and using finesse at times to finish through traffic, Williams was the difference maker for Arkansas.
Going into half tied at 35, the heavyweight battle was about as evenly matched as Wade could have asked for.
Coming out the gate into the second half, LSU was shot out of a cannon, going on a 7-0 run to take a 42-35 lead. Darius Days getting shots to fall and Brandon Murray working inside, it made for a lethal duo while Eason remained on the bench in foul trouble.
For the Tigers, it was the Days and Eason show throughout much of the second half. Each carrying the load offensively and feeding off of each other, it took pressure off of Xavier Pinson, who struggled for much of the game.
Shooting 5-of-21 for the night, Pinson found other ways to get involved. Controlling the Razorbacks guards and getting going in transition, his playmaking ability provides a calming effect for this team.
With Williams fouling out late in the second half for Arkansas, it opened up the paint for LSU, allowing Eason to get to his spots unharmed
When the Tigers needed buckets down the stretch, Wade put the ball in his dynamic scorer’s hands. Doing what he does best, Tari Eason got downhill and muscled his way into the paint and bullied his defender.
After Eason fouled out late in the second half, the Tigers offense couldn’t get back into a rhythm, looking shell shocked at times. Controlling much of the pace throughout the second half and having chances to pull away, lackluster play from the Tigers kept Arkansas in it.
“Our problem is not staying in the game, but finishing a game,” Eason said after the game. “I think we need to make strides in that area and we’re going to continue to. But we definitely took a step in the right direction.”
The Tigers up one with under 20 seconds left, a critical foul call on Mwani Wilkinson sent JD Notae to the line to ice the game, ultimately putting the Razorbacks up one to seal the deal in a battle between the two powerhouses.
In a hard-fought loss, the Tigers paint struggles were too much. Arkansas’ inside dominance became the difference maker late in the second half and shifted the momentum their way.
“We played better tonight,” Wade said. “I think we’re making some progress towards how we need to play. We just weren’t able to finish it off which is extremely disappointing. I thought we deserved a little bit better tonight.”
