LSU, Arkansas both look to rebound from close losses in SEC showdown

LSU and Arkansas have been stuck near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference standings all season.

Both are reeling after allowing potential signature wins to slip through their fingers last weekend as they prepare to meet Wednesday night in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Tigers (12-11, 1-9 SEC) were poised to upset then-No. 25 Ole Miss at home but got outscored 13-0 in the final 3:15 to fall 72-70 on Saturday.

The Razorbacks (14-9, 3-7), who had upset then-No. 12 Kentucky 89-79 and Texas 78-70 in their previous two games, both on the road, fell just short of another big win when they lost at home to then-No. 3 Alabama 85-81 on Saturday.

"This team never stopped and they came back and they made plays," Arkansas coach John Calipari said. "They played fearless and that's what they have to do."

The Razorbacks remained fearless after falling behind by 18 points with 6:29 remaining, just as they were fearless after losing their first five SEC games.

LSU had an opportunity to break a tie in the clutch on Saturday, but Cam Carter was called for an offensive foul with 28 seconds left. Ole Miss' Sean Pedulla missed a layup with two seconds left, but teammate Dre' Davis tipped the ball in with 0.1 seconds remaining.

Notably, the Tigers entered the game shooting 78 percent on free throws in SEC play but made just 12 of 25 on Saturday.

It was the Tigers' sixth consecutive loss since their lone SEC win, 78-74 against visiting Arkansas on Jan. 14. The performance still showed significant improvement after LSU had lost its last two by an average of 25 points against unranked Texas and Georgia.

LSU forward Daimion Collins offered a blueprint for trying to get another win against the Razorbacks.

"I just feel like (it's) staying together as a team, staying the course, trusting the process," he said. "And just coming back, getting back in the lab, going to work and just trying to come out the next game and get a win."

--Field Level Media