GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The race to the finish in Southeastern Conference men’s basketball is on with two games to play in the regular season.
No, not that race. No. 1 Auburn (27-2, 15-1 SEC) has already clinched the regular season title as No. 5 Florida (25-4) and No. 7 Alabama (23-6) are tied for second three games back at 12-4.
This is about the other half. LSU (14-15, 3-13 SEC) is a game out of last place as the Tigers will “duel” with South Carolina (12-17, 2-14 SEC) over the final week.
The Tigers lost their third straight on Saturday, 81-69, at Mississippi State. While the Gamecocks are coming off a stunning, 72-53 win over Arkansas (17-12, 6-10) on Saturday and have won two of their last three after opening the season 0-13 in the SEC. South Carolina shocked Texas (16-13, 5-11) by 84-69 on Feb. 22 just four days after that 13th straight loss – 81-67 at LSU on Feb. 18.
So, LSU has the tiebreaker should the two tiddlywinks finish in a deadlock. No playoff game is expected before the SEC Tournament opens in Nashville on March 12.
Here is how the two teams finish the regular season, so get ready for a lack of ratings bonanza.
LSU’s remaining schedule:
-at No. 19 Kentucky (19-10, 8-8), 6 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN2
-vs. No. 22 Texas A&M (20-9, 9-7), 3 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network
South Carolina’s remaining schedule:
-vs. Georgia (18-11, 6-10), 5 p.m. Tuesday, SEC Network
-at No. 4 Tennessee (24-5, 11-5), 1 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network
LSU coach Matt McMahon and South Carolina coach Lamont Davis have had similar paths at their present coaching stops. Each are in their third season after a bad opening year (14-19, 2-16) and (11-21, 4-14), respectively. Each improved last season (17-16, 9-9) and (26-8, 13-5) and dropped significantly this year. Both appear to be returning for next season and perhaps beyond as McMahon is under contract through 2029 amid promises by LSU to enhance his available NIL money. And Paris just signed a new one after last season through 2030.
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McMahon will be trying to avoid finishing dead last in the SEC twice as his 2022-23 Tigers ended up a game behind Ole Miss (12-21, 3-15).
The Tigers are expected to be without one of their hottest players at Kentucky in freshman guard Vyctorius Miller, who injured his left ankle at Mississippi State and played only seven minutes. Miller scored 17 with 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range in a 65-59 loss to Tennessee last week. In the South Carolina win, he scored 12 with four assists.
LSU senior guard Cam Carter continues to consistently play well. He scored 23 in the loss at Mississippi State and has put up double-figure points in seven of his last eight games.
Kentucky, meanwhile, is having a so-so season for Kentucky standards under first-year coach Mark Pope, who at 8-8 is tied for eighth in the league and well off former coach John Calipari’s pace. And this after Calipari was basically ridden out of town after last season to Arkansas. Kentucky finished 23-10 and 13-5 in the SEC for second in Calipari’s last season in 2023-24 and was 22-12 and 12-6 and 26-8 and 11-4 in the two previous seasons for two top three finishes in the league.
Pope has miles to go before he can get to Calipari’s level, which included a national championship, a national championship runner-up, four Final Fours in all and three Elite Eight finishes from 2011-19. He was 1-3 in this last three NCAA Tournaments, though, from 2022-24.
Should LSU and South Carolina finish in a tie in the regular season as 15 and 16 seeds in the 16-team league, they conceivably could meet again to break the tie on the floor. The bottom two seeds will be on opposite sides of the SEC Tournament bracket. If each wins four games, they will meet Sunday at noon on ESPN.
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