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The Tigers jumped out to a huge lead in Fayetteville last night, and never looked back.
Arkansas would score the game’s first point on a free throw, but Aaron Epps would give the Tigers the lead on a dunk in the game’s first minute. It was a lead LSU would never relinquish.
A 12-0 run sparked by a Skylar Mays three-pointer would put the game out of reach early on. LSU extended the lead to 19-5 just seven and half minutes into the game, a massive haymaker from which the Hogs would never recover.
Things got worse for Arkansas, and late in the first half, LSU had tripled Arkansas’ score, 36-12. Arkansas would go into the half down by twenty points, and for all intents and purposes, the game was already over.
To give Arkansas some credit, they didn’t roll over the second half. They would respond with their own 10-2 to cut the lead to a somewhat manageable thirteen points at 49-36 with 13:24 to play. But Tremont Waters put the kibosh on any hope of a comeback with a jumper. By the eight minute mark, LSU was back out to a 20-point lead.
LSU shot 52.7% from the floor, but more impressively, held Arkansas to just 33.3% shooting. The Tigers also won the battle of the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds to 33. That’s not supposed to happen.
LSU dominated a really good Arkansas team in their home gym, and the did it without their star player having a ridiculous game. Tremont Waters only had eight points, though he did dish eight assists and grabbed five boards. It’s not often LSU will score 75 points while Waters scores in the single digits.
No LSU player scored more than Aaron Epps, with 13. Randy Onwuasor came off the bench and put in 12 points in 17 minutes, the most he’s played in a game since early December. Onwuasor had played just 14 minutes and was yet to score a point in SEC play coming into tonight. It’s always cool to see the depth guys have their moment to shine.
The win brings LSU’s record to 11-4 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. The Tigers now rank 52nd in the KenPom rankings, as they have collected their fourth win over a top 50 team.
This was LSU’s second biggest margin of victory over Arkansas in school history. It also marks just the seventh time LSU has won in Fayetteville, though the Tigers have now won in two of their last four trips to Bud Walton.
LSU simply has not had a dominant win like this in SEC play in quite some time. This is one of the most significant victories of the infant Will Wade era. The A&M win showed heart, but this one showed domination. LSU has staked its claim as a viable postseason contender.