:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/33466939/14260452205_41beda612f_b.0.jpg)
Arkansas didn't really come into the semifinals of the SEC tournament with anything to play for. And they better be glad.
LSU demolished the Razorbacks on Saturday in an 11-1 game, shortened to eight innings by the mercy rule, that somehow felt even more lopsided than the score. The Tigers churned out 16 hits and had a five-run fifth inning that broke open the game and gave LSU an 8-0 lead. At that point, Arkansas still had not managed its first hit, and the Hogs would get just four on the day.
If Kyle Bouman can pitch anywhere near as well as he did Saturday and the Tigers are at home in regional round of the NCAA tournament -- and it's almost inconceivable at this point that they won't be -- LSU is an incredibly dangerous team. They're probably dangerous in the super regionals regardless of where they play, though a national seed is not out of the question depending on what happens tomorrow.
Arkansas, meanwhile, got what they needed out of the SEC tournament. The Razorbacks could probably have made the NCAA tournament with one win in Hoover or maybe even without one. The run to the semifinals ensures that they're going to be playing in a regional next week.
LSU has one more game to go in Hoover -- on Sunday, against the winner of Florida-Kentucky. They might not need a win any more than Arkansas did on Saturday, but they'll gladly take it.