LSU Pounces on Missouri 75-55 To Pick Up Critical SEC Win

With basketball royalty in attendance, LSU jumped out on Missouri with efficient shooting and high intensity defense to get back in the win column with a 75-55 win.

One of the goals heading into the matchup with Missouri was to be more efficient in its shotmaking. Wade wanted his players to continue to be aggressive in attacking the rim but to be better at finishing, something the team was able to do by scoring 32 points in the paint. Additionally, the purple and gold were able to convert on its layups at a higher rate, making 14-of-24 shots at the rim.

"The ball moved a little bit better, we played inside out, we got fouled," Will Wade said. "I was really proud of our free throw shooting. I was really pleased with our ball movement. When the ball moves we're very good."

The issues that cropped up early in this one were not uncommon for this team, with LSU turning the ball over eight times in the first half and 13 for the game while also surrendering 12 offensive rebounds. Missouri, a team that did come in with some size, made sure to capitalize on those second and sometimes third opportunities to keep it a tight game early. Both the turnovers and offensive rebounds would be significantly decreased in the second half.

LSU was led by the potent shot making of one of its best players, Tari Eason, who finished with 16 points while Missouri transfer Xavier Pinson also added 10 points and Brandon Murray tacked on 11 more. But the real spark for the Tigers came from the bench and the 17 productive minutes that Shareef O'Neal provided.

With forward Darius Days in foul trouble for the first half, it was O'Neal’s nine points and seven rebounds that helped the purple and gold build their lead and sustain it. With dad Shaq watching baseline, O'Neal even had a chance to show off his best alley oop impression in the first half.

Shareef O’Neal with the FINISH 😤 @LSUBasketball pic.twitter.com/T1v4zXPRUZ
— ESPN (@espn) February 27, 2022

An 18-6 run in the middle of the half was one of the big swings in this game and allowed LSU to head into halftime with a 30-24 advantage. LSU's pressure against a depleted Missouri team also aided the winning effort, forcing 19 turnovers of its own and converting into 25 points the other way.

The purple and gold have struggled at times to apply the same pressure to open the second half but that was not the case Saturday night as LSU opened on a 15-0 run to take a 21 point lead and never looked back. Once again it was attacking and converting in the paint that made all the difference.

"Usually there's been some slippage from first to second half when we have the lead," Eason said. "I thought our starters did a really nice job going out there with the same attack in the second half.

“Yeah, you know we have spent a lot of time on that, talking about that, and working on it in practice. I am happy to see some carryover," Wade said. "We made them call the first time out when we scored a couple of easy baskets. I thought we made some good things happen in the second half that really set the tone.”

This was a significant win for LSU to not only get back to .500 in league play but keep its solid standing in the NCAA tournament picture alive. With two tournament teams in Arkansas and Alabama on the docket next week, it'll be two more opportunities at building a solid resume come selection time.