FAYETTEVILLE -- LSU's basketball team was on a roll the last time the Tigers played the University of Arkansas.
Three weeks later, LSU is still rolling right along going into today's rematch against the Razorbacks at the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.
LSU beat Arkansas 94-88 in overtime in Walton Arena on Jan. 12 to extend the Tigers' winning streak to five games. The Tigers now have a 10-game winning streak after beating Texas A&M 72-57 on the road Wednesday night to remain tied with No. 1 Tennessee atop the SEC standings.
If No. 19 LSU (17-3, 7-0) beats Arkansas (12-8, 3-4) today, the Tigers will have their first 11-game winning streak since the 1985-86 season when they opened 14-0 en route to a Final Four appearance.
LSU Coach Will Wade said a key for the Tigers' success has been focusing on their next game, not the big picture of where they fit into the NCAA Tournament field or if they can win the SEC championship.
"We talk about winning today," Wade said. "The more stuff that is going on, the narrower your focus has to be.
"We worry about today. We have to do a great job today. We have to do a great job with our recovery, a great job with our film session and a great job with our free throws. If you let all of that other stuff seep in, then you are in trouble."
The Tigers' last loss was Dec. 12 at No. 13 Houston when the Cougars beat them 82-76.
LSU has won 18 in a row at home, including an 11-0 record this season.
"We get a chance to go against an LSU team that is playing awful well right now," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "Hopefully, our guys have a sense of urgency you've got to play with, especially this time of the year and then going on the road."
Arkansas rallied from a 13-point deficit against LSU in the teams' first game this season and went ahead 83-81 in overtime on Daniel Gafford's dunk, but the Tigers regained the lead for good on back-to-back three-pointers by Ja'Vonte Smart and Naz Reid.
Gafford led Arkansas with a career-high 32 points, and Reid led LSU with 27.
"That game's over with, but it registered in our guy's minds in terms of what we did," Anderson said. "Just kind of ran out of time."
The Razorbacks have won back-to-back SEC games for the first time this season -- 72-60 over Missouri and 70-60 over Georgia at home -- with a 67-64 loss at No. 16 Texas Tech in between. They also have turned up their intensity on defense by forcing a combined 62 turnovers that they converted into 68 points. They held Georgia to 29.2 percent shooting.
"Arkansas is playing a lot better," Wade said. "They're growing because they have a young team."
The Razorbacks are the first team LSU has played twice this season.
"They have more film, and we have film going against each other," Wade said. "What worked the first time will not work the second time.
"We have to make some changes and anticipate some changes they will make. Arkansas is one of those teams that will play differently on the road than at home.
"We will probably see some more matchup zone. They might not come out and press us as much as they did at home, but maybe they will because they turned us over a lot when they made the run in the second half."
The Razorbacks will look to beat Wade -- who is 35-18 in his second season at LSU -- and sophomore point guard Tremont Waters for the first time.
Waters has led the Tigers to a 3-0 record against Arkansas while averaging 17.3 points and 10.0 assists in 38.0 minutes. He's also had a combined 13 turnovers in those three games.
"We have to build a wall when he gets in there because he's trying to find those shooters," Anderson said. "He's trying to find Reid, he's trying to find [Kavell] Bigby-Williams at the basket, or Skylar popping up open in the corner. So our heads have to be on a swivel, because we have to be in position to see and try to fix things and get there."
Waters had just one assist at Texas A&M, but he scored 36 points. He hit 11 of 18 shots -- including 6 of 10 three-pointers -- and 8 of 8 free throws.
"He's got to be one of the best point guards in the country that people don't talk about," Texas A&M Coach Billy Kennedy said after the game. "He hits NBA threes, he makes all his free throws. He had seven rebounds and three steals. He's a special player."
Anderson said he's hopeful the Razorbacks can continue to play defense today as they have in the previous three games.
"I think we're playing good defense. I really, really do," he said. "Guys are trusting each other. They're talking, and that's what you have to do on defense.
"In that environment, it's going to be even more important that they talk and be on the same page."
Sports on 02/02/2019