Shorthanded but Scrappy: LSU Pushes No. 5 Tennessee Before Falling Late
LSU walked into Knoxville on Saturday night with little in the way of momentum and even less in terms of available personnel. Coming off their most lopsided loss of the season and missing their top two guards, the Tigers were expected to fold against a top-five Tennessee team.
Instead, they fought. Hard.
And while the final score read 73-63 in favor of the Volunteers, the effort LSU put together-despite the odds-was anything but a rollover.
Let’s start with the reality: LSU was without Dedan Thomas Jr. and Max Mackinnon, their two leading scorers and primary ball-handlers. Thomas, sidelined for the season due to a foot injury that will require surgery, had been the engine of this Tigers offense.
Mackinnon, who injured his knee in their previous outing, was ruled out just hours before tipoff. That’s a massive hit to any team’s backcourt, let alone one already sitting near the bottom of the SEC standings.
But what LSU lacked in star power, they made up for in grit.
The Tigers didn’t just show up-they made Tennessee work for everything. Despite being doubled up on the boards, surrendering 16 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points, LSU kept clawing. And somehow, deep into the second half, they were still within striking distance.
A big reason why? Jalen Reece.
The freshman guard stepped into a major role and delivered. He poured in 15 points, dished out four assists, and played with the kind of confidence and poise that belied his experience. Reece was instrumental in LSU’s surge early in the second half, helping spark a 16-4 run that erased a 12-point deficit and tied the game at 35-all.
LSU, a team that’s struggled all season from beyond the arc, actually outshot Tennessee from deep-eight threes to the Vols’ six. And perhaps most impressively, they turned the ball over just three times all night. That kind of ball security gave them a fighting chance, especially in a game where every possession mattered.
Marquel Sutton also stepped up in a big way. He matched Reece with 15 points and provided a steady presence on both ends. In total, four LSU players scored in double figures, a testament to the collective effort it took to keep this one close.
The Tigers closed the first half strong and came out firing after the break. For a stretch, it felt like LSU might actually pull off the shocker.
But ultimately, the math caught up with them. Tennessee’s dominance on the offensive glass gave them too many extra looks, and LSU’s lack of depth-especially in crunch time-proved costly.
With under five minutes to go and the score at 64-60, LSU still had a shot. But from there, the offense stalled. Tennessee closed the game on a 9-3 run, and LSU simply didn’t have enough left in the tank to respond.
Now sitting at 2-10 in SEC play, LSU heads back on the road for a matchup with Texas. The record doesn’t tell the whole story of this group’s fight, especially on nights like this. They may be short on wins, but they’re not short on heart.