University of Missouri

Missouri-LSU basketball preview

Updated: 2013-03-02T00:00:41Z

LSU at Missouri

•  WHEN/WHERE: 3 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia

•  TV/RADIO: KSMO (Ch. 62); KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)

•  ABOUT LSU (17-9, 8-7 SEC): The Tigers have won four of their last five games and are only one spot behind Missouri in the Southeastern Conference standings. … LSU handed Missouri a disappointing 73-70 loss earlier this season. Guards Andre Stringer and Anthony Hickey team up with forward Johnny O’Bryant to give LSU some scoring punch.

•  ABOUT MISSOURI (20-8, 9-6 SEC): The Tigers are coming off a solid 90-68 win at South Carolina, which marked the Tigers’ second road win of the season. … Keion Bell (24 points), Jabari Brown (23 points) and Alex Oriakhi (18 points) led the Tigers in scoring, while guard Phil Pressey had a team-high nine assists and didn’t attempt a shot. … The win gave Missouri its fifth consecutive 20-win season, a new school record. … Missouri coach Frank Haith is the fastest Tigers coach to 50 wins, doing it in 63 games. … Missouri is 15-0 at home this season.

•  BOTTOM LINE: Given LSU’s recent surge, Missouri’s loss in Baton Rouge isn’t as bad as it appeared at the time. But the Tigers should be ready to get revenge; they’ve already beaten two of the SEC teams (Florida and Mississippi) at home that beat them on the road. Given MU’s success at Mizzou Arena, it’s easy to imagine LSU becoming rematch victim No. 3.

| Terez A. Paylor, tpaylor@kcstar.com

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