LSU upsets No. 8 Arkansas 78-71 to reach SEC tourney final

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. &mdash; 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. </p>
<p>The Tigers (18-8) will play No. 6 Alabama, a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-davonte-gaines-tennessee-volunteers-mens-basketball-alabama-crimson-tide-mens-basketball-victor-bailey-68ae7dc21c033795da954f80f5a3785c">73-68 winner over Tennessee</a> 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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Arkansas (22-6) snapped a 12-game SEC winning streak that tied the program record set by the 1993-94 team that also ended in the SEC Tournament in the semifinals. </p>
<p>Marcus Moody tied his season high with 28 points for Arkansas, 20 of those in the first half as he hit his first six shots a game after the SEC Newcomer of the Year was held to five points. Justin Smith added 21. </p>
<p>The Razorbacks came in leading the SEC averaging 82.8 points a game. Yet they couldn’t knock down a shot for nearly 10 minutes in the second half, going without a basket between Smith’s layup with 17:12 left and Smith’s dunk with 7:24 remaining. </p>
<p>LSU took advantage after Arkansas guard Davonte Davis made a pair of free throws with 11:42 left tying it up at 52. The Tigers LSU reeled off 12 straight points to take the lead for good, and Gaines capped the spurt with a layup with 7:25 left. </p>
<p>Arkansas tried to rally, getting to 65-60, then Smith keyed a 9-2 spurt to make it 72-71 with 37 seconds left. LSU scored the final six points to finish off the victory. </p>
<p>LSU led 40-37 at halftime. </p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>LSU: The Tigers made sure to take advantage of their second chances, outscoring Arkansas 17-6 in that category despite being outrebounded 42-39.</p>
<p>Arkansas: The Razorbacks trailed at halftime for the sixth time since their SEC-winning streak started, and this was the fourth in the last five games. … The Razorbacks were the SEC’s fourth-best free throw shooting team in the regular season, but they went just 11-of-19 (57.9%) against LSU. </p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Arkansas learns its NCAA Tournament seed and opening opponent Sunday. </p>
<p>LSU gets a third chance at Alabama after being swept by the Crimson Tide during the regular season. </p>
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