Arkansas and South Carolina won comfortably on Wednesday as they now prepare for the start of SEC play this weekend.
LSU will wrap up its non-conference portion of the schedule on Thursday when it heads into Memphis for an intriguing contest.
As always, my predictions are based on team analysis and who I think will win. Score projections are for my own amusement.
Let’s get to the pick.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 134-30
LSU at Memphis – 9 PM EST, CBS Sports Network (Game Preview)
LSU continues to be one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, thanks in large part to the impressive play of Tremont Waters.
The freshman point guard is averaging 17.0 points and 6.2 assists per game to go along with 2.5 steals, with the latter stat good enough to rank 18th in the country.
But LSU has been about more than Waters, and perhaps the best development of the past week for this team is the return of Brandon Sampson, who adds who even more scoring to the mix.
As for Memphis, its three losses this season are to Alabama, UAB, and Louisville, which are far from bad defeats.
The key for LSU here is patience on the offensive end of the floor and discipline on the defensive end of the floor. Memphis is far from an elite team on defense, but that’ll be what Tubby Smith will stress heading into this matchup given LSU’s offensive abilities.
If Waters and company can score some easy baskets in transition, it’ll make things a whole lot easier and help up the tempo to Will Wade’s liking.
Getting a win here would be huge for LSU considering that it opens up SEC play against Kentucky in Baton Rouge.
This figures to be a grind-it-out type of game, but because of how well Wade’s team has shot the ball from outside, I like their chances against a Memphis squad that has struggled to find consistent scoring at times.
LSU grabs a close win on the road.
Prediction: LSU 74, Memphis 70
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