Gamethread: #19 LSU vs. TCU, 11 A.M., ESPN2

The LSU men’s basketball team (16-4, 4-4) will press pause on its slate of conference games and spend Saturday in Fort Worth taking on TCU (13-4, 3-3) as part of the ninth annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The Horned Frogs are a pretty good team, currently sitting in fifth place in the Big 12 and receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches poll. TCU dropped its most recent game, a 73-50 drubbing at the hands of Texas.

TCU is a hard team to get a read on. When they’ve played teams with talent as good as if not better than theirs they usually get run off the floor: a 23-point loss to Texas there, a 12-point loss to Baylor there. They also inexplicably got blown out by Santa Clara in November.

TCU doesn’t appear to have the most explosive offense which suits this current banged up LSU team just fine. Xavier Pinson is a game-time decision but even if he does play would be on a minutes restriction; Daris Days (ankle) and Tari Eason (cramps) are both available and will start.

LSU’s taking part in the Big 12/SEC Challenge for the sixth time. They currently have a 2-3 record in this event and last year melted down in hilarious fashion against Texas Tech. TCU is 4-4.

The SEC won the challenge last year 5-4 (one game was postponed) but the Big 12 holds the all-time advantage with a 44-35 record. The other games, all being played today, are as follows:

• Oklahoma vs. #1 Auburn, 1:00 P.M., ESPN
• Missouri vs. #23 Iowa State, 1:00 P.M., ESPNU
• West Virginia vs. Arkansas, 1:00 P.M., ESPN2
• #4 Baylor vs. Alabama, 3:00 P.M., ESPN
• Kansas State vs. Ole Miss, 3:00 P.M., ESPNU
• Oklahoma State vs. Florida, 3:00 P.M., ESPN2
• #12 Kentucky vs. #5 Kansas 5:00 P.M., ESPN
• Mississippi State vs. #13 Texas Tech, 5:00 P.M., ESPN2
• #18 Tennessee vs. Texas, 7:00 P.M., ESPN