NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Cameron Thomas scored 21 points and third-seeded LSU upset eighth-ranked Arkansas 78-71 on Saturday to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 1993.
The Tigers (18-8) will play No. 6 Alabama, a 73-68 winner over Tennessee in the other semifinal, on Sunday looking to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding even more by knocking off the SEC's regular-season champ.
LSU has won this tournament only once — back in 1980. These teams split during the season, winning on their home courts by almost identical margins.
On this day, LSU gave its top scorer and freshman more help in a matchup of the SEC's top scoring teams. Javonte Smart added 19 points for LSU, and Darius Days had 13.