How the Missouri basketball team can end a 669-day streak against LSU on Tuesday
Missouri is looking to break a 669-day streak Tuesday when it hosts its first home SEC game against LSU, which enters with an 11-3 record.
On the opening day of SEC play Saturday, LSU lost to Vanderbilt 80-72 at home while MU was defeated by No. 2 Auburn 84-68 on the road. Both teams will be looking for their first conference victory.
If Mizzou can defeat the Bayou Bengals, it would break a 21-game conference losing streak.
It will be a game MU is favored in, as the black-and-gold Tigers are ranked No. 44 in the NET compared to LSU’s 61.
There are no pushovers in the SEC, though, and LSU is no exception.
The visiting Tigers are paced by guard Cam Carter, who is averaging 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The Kansas State transfer is having the best season of his career, improving on his average of 14.6 points per game last season in Manhattan.
Jordan Sears is playing his fifth season of college basketball after spending two years at Gardner Webb and the last two at UT Martin.
Last season at UT Martin — while playing alongside MU’s Jacob Crews — Sears averaged 21.6 points per game, ranking ninth nationally at the Division I level. He broke a 38-year-old school record by making 162 free throws and scored 692 points, third-most in school history.
LSU is led by coach Matt McMahon, who is in his third season at the helm of the purple-and-gold Tigers.
In his first season, LSU went 14-17. Last season, the team went 17-16 and earned a bid to the NIT.
Before LSU, McMahon spent seven seasons at Murray State, competing in the Ohio Valley. With the Racers, he boasted a 154-67 overall record and went 93-31 in conference play.
He also led Murray State to three Ohio Valley Conference Tournament titles, which led to three NCAA Tournament bids.
The Racers won NCAA tourney games in 2019 and 2022, defeating Marquette and San Francisco.
McMahon also had the opportunity to coach NBA superstar Ja Morant when he attended Murray State for two seasons from 2017-19.
Missouri last beat LSU 87-77 on Feb. 1, 2022, in Columbia.
Aidan Shaw is the only Mizzou player still on the roster from that game, and the only significant stats he recorded were a rebound and a steal in seven minutes of play.
LSU leads the all-time series 12-4, while the series in Columbia is split 3-3.
MU looks to extend its 11-game home winning streak when it hosts LSU at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "How the Missouri basketball team can end a 669-day streak against LSU on Tuesday."