BATON ROUGE, La. — Northwestern State (2-8) vs. No. 19 LSU (9-0) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 19 LSU presents a tough challenge for Northwestern State. Northwestern State has played a ranked team only once this season and lost. LSU has moved up to No. 19 in the latest AP rankings following a win over Georgia Tech last week.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Cedric Garrett and Larry Owens have led the Demons. Garrett is averaging 7.1 points while Owens is putting up 7.3 points per game. The Tigers have been led by Tari Eason and Darius Days, who have combined to score 30.4 points per outing.GIFTED GARRETT: Garrett has connected on 25.7 percent of the 35 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 5 of 18 over his last five games. He’s also made 72.7 percent of his free throws this season.
SLIPPING AT 72: Northwestern State is 0-8 when it allows at least 72 points and 2-0 when it holds opponents to less than 72.
STREAK STATS: Northwestern State has dropped its last five road games, scoring 62.2 points and allowing 87.4 points during those contests. LSU has won its last six home games, scoring an average of 82.2 points while giving up 51.
DID YOU KNOW: The LSU defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 27.9 percent of all possessions, which is the fifth-highest rate in the country. Northwestern State has turned the ball over on 20.7 percent of its possessions (ranked 267th among Division I teams).