No. 5 Tennessee basketball defeated unranked LSU Tuesday night at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tennessee basketball trailed LSU for only 92 seconds before winning 65-59 on Tuesday night.
Freshman guard Vyctorious Miller led the Tigers with a co-game-high 17 points, going 6-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from deep. Senior guard Cam Carter tallied 12 points, but Tennessee held him to 3-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-6 on three-pointers.
After shooting 48.1% and 42.9% in the previous two games, the Volunteers fall cold.
The final shooting percentages were practically identical. Tennessee shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) overall, 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from deep, and 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the charity stripe. LSU posted 41.2 percent (21-of-51), 25.9 percent (7-of-27), and 62.5 percent (10-of-16).
Takeaway #1: Both teams struggled throughout the first half
Tennessee’s offense started slowly, which was not surprising given the Volunteers’ history of struggling to open games.
The Vols encountered turnover issues early at LSU. Tennessee turned it over eight times in the first half. Six different Vols tallied a turnover with Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic each recording two.
Tennessee’s defense had the Tigers in a chokehold, as they turned the ball over six times while shooting only 37% from the field. The Tigers went an entire 6:49 without scoring in the first half. LSU had to score five baskets in the final 83 seconds of the first half to finish with 23 points in the opening half.
Both the Vols and the Tigers finished the first 20 minutes with 10 makes on 27 shots.
Takeaway #2: Felix Okpara and Zakai Zeigler controlled the game
Zeigler provides another strong second half to help Tennessee pull away.
As the story has been throughout the past couple of games, Tennessee’s star guard has been pivotal in allowing the Vols to pull away late in games.
That remained the case against LSU.
Heading into the break, Zeigler sported a measly six points alongside a single assist — posting two turnovers. It was part of an ugly half from both squads.
Then, he turned things around with aggression in the second half. Zeigler attacked the paint harder and located his teammates for better looks. By the end of the night, he held 17 points and three assists.
Zeigler, who scored 11 of his points in the final 15 minutes, led a trio of Volunteers with over a dozen points.
Junior forward Felix Okpara notched 15, one shy of his career high, on a perfect 6-of-6 field-goal mark and an unblemished 3-of-3 free-throw ledger.
Chaz Lanier scored 14 points and went 3-of-8 from 3-point range, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack added nine points.
Takeaway #3: Tennessee dominated the glass
Tennessee registered a commanding 17-8 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 27-8 margin in second-chance points. It marked the team’s highest total since Nov. 9, 2021.
Four Tennessee players grabbed at least seven rebounds, with Lanier’s season-high nine pacing all players. Mashack had eight to equal his career best, while Okpara and senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., each pulled down seven. It marked the 10th time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25), including the second this year, that four Volunteers logged seven-plus boards.
Tennessee crushed LSU rebounding the ball, holding a 44-28 advantage. The Vols had 17 offensive rebounds and turned them into a season-high 27 second-chance points.
“We felt coming in that was our number one emphasis, that we had to get to the offensive boards,” Barnes said.
Tennessee had a major statistical advantage rebounding-wise entering the matchup and they fully took advantage of it.
Four of the Vols’ first seven points came on second-chance opportunities and that continued throughout the game. Tennessee totaled a season-high 27 second-chance points against LSU.
The Vols outrebounded LSU 44-28, including a massive 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Tennessee rebounded 52% of its misses on the offensive end, well over its already high season average.
On a night where Tennessee’s offense largely struggled, offensive rebounding was its bread-and-butter that helped secure the win.
Tennessee basketball returns to Knoxville on Saturday afternoon for a critical SEC and NCAA tournament seeding game against No. 6 Alabama at Food City Center, live on ESPN.
Next up for Tennessee basketball (23-5, 10-5): vs. No. 6 Alabama (23-5, 12-3) – Mar. 1 at 4 p.m. EST
Next up for LSU basketball (14-14, 3-12): at No. 24 Mississippi State (19-9, 7-8) – Mar. 1 at 3:30 p.m. EST
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