Alabama @ Louisiana State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 18, 2017 ) Louisiana State 72, Alabama 90

LSU tries to validate its eye-popping victory at Arkansas and serve notice that it is a legitimate SEC title contender when it hosts Alabama on Saturday. The Tigers won at Arkansas 75-54 on Wednesday for its fifth victory in six games - its only loss during that span was to No. 20 Kentucky 74-71 at home - and will try to snap a three-game slide against the Crimson Tide.

First-year coach Will Wade has the Tigers believing, as they have already equaled their SEC win total from last season of two, and lead the SEC in field-goal percentage at 50.3. “I’m so proud of our players. ... That’s as well as we’ve executed and was as disciplined as we’ve executed the plan all year long,” Wade told reporters after Wednesday's game. “We executed that thing to a 'T'. We didn’t turn the ball over and we shared the ball on offense.” Alabama is coming off a 76-62 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday, squaring its SEC record after four games with road losses to Vanderbilt , 76-75 on Jan. 2, and Georgia, 65-46 on Jan. 6. "We looked like we had an identity (Tuesday),'' Crimson Tide coach Avery Johnson told reporters. "We are a defense team first, a rebounding team and a team that doesn't complain, puts the hard hats on and just plays. ..."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT ALABAMA (10-6, 2-2 SEC): Freshman guard Collin Sexton leads the SEC in scoring at 19.5 points per game despite recording only five points on 2-for-8 shooting against South Carolina. Junior forward Donta Hall (11.5 points) averages a team-best 7.2 rebounds, and is 78-for-104 from the field this season, including 22-for-27 in SEC games. Freshman guard John Petty (12.1 points) is third in the SEC with 44 made 3-pointers going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc and scoring 15 points Tuesday.

ABOUT LSU (11-4, 2-1): The Tigers boast a sensational freshman of their own in point guard Tremont Waters (team-high 16.8 points per game), who leads the SEC in assists (6.1) and steals (2.3). Senior forward Duop Reath (12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) is averaging 14 points and nine rebounds in three SEC games but is shooting 44 percent from the floor in his last four contests after a 65.7-percent clip in his first 11 games. Senior forward Aaron Epps (10.4 points, club-best 6.5 rebounds) is coming off his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas.

TIP-INS

1. The Crimson Tide are second in the SEC in points allowed at 65 per game and second in field-goal percentage defense (35.5).

2. LSU is shooting 59 percent inside the 3-point line, sixth-best in the nation according to TeamRankings.com.

3. Alabama is shooting 78.6 percent from the free-throw line in its last seven games after making only 63 percent in its first nine contests.

PREDICTION: LSU 65, Alabama 64