FAYETTEVILLE — The third-largest win for Arkansas in its SEC history may have been their biggest, lopsided win in terms of importance.

An 87-52 victory over LSU in front of an announced crowd of 13,127 was all fun and games Wednesday for the Razorbacks, who have had to gut out wins in every single game during a four-game winning streak.

On Wednesday, though, the Hogs could relax a bit while letting off some steam.

"What's the correct word I want to use?" LSU Coach Trent Johnson asked himself after the loss. "A good ol' fashion butt-whoopin'."

Arkansas (13-11, 6-3 SEC) did what it wanted from start to finish, even with its backups in for the latter minutes of the game.

Suddenly, a team that has trailed at halftime of every SEC game this season, looked as dominant as it has in several years. Sure, LSU (9-15, 0-10) is winless in the SEC for a reason and the Hogs led by as many as 37 points, but it was a much different look compared to the come-from-behind wins in the last four games.

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"It's certainly a different feeling," Coach John Pelphrey said.

Much had been made of LSU's struggles leading up to the game.

"We're well aware that records don't mean a whole lot," Pelphrey said. "They're not played on paper, they're played on the court. We know that all too well.

"Last year, I don't think we were an easy out for anybody. Eight of our last 11, we led in the second half and we really don't anticipate anybody being easy for us, either. Let's don't get carried away here. This is not indicative of how good we are or how the two teams compare to each other. This was just us playing very well tonight and being very fortunate."

Even so, the big leads allowed Arkansas to make room for some fun. laughing and a few highlight-reel plays that had been missing for most of the season.

The Razorbacks looked for alley-oops, which haven't been seen much (if at all) this season in Bud Walton Arena, right out of the locker room after halftime.

One worked from Stef Welsh to Glenn Bryant near the end of the first half, and only one of two to start the second half ended with points.

The Hogs came up with 13 steals, and several ended with fastbreak buckets. Arkansas out-scored LSU in points off turnovers, 27-5.

Even the Hogs' backups proved to be better than the LSU starters. Pardon the imagery, but the Razorbacks' scrubs looked like fine, silk suits against the depleted Tigers.

Backup guard Jemal Farmer hit his first three 3-pointers, Julysses Nobles did his best Courtney Fortson impersonation and drove to the basket for an easy bucket and spotted up for a uncharacteristic 3-pointer.

Meanwhile, Fortson got a chance to rest his tiring legs, which have lifted the Razorbacks to the last four wins. Still, he played a team-high 25 minutes.

"I don't know if the defining of roles is helping them, but I certainly think it helps that Courtney is back and everybody gets a chance to do what they do best," Pelphrey said.

Nick Mason made his debut after serving a suspension that lasted the entire fall semester, which prompted the largest reaction from Arkansas' bench the entire night.

Teammates Mike Washington and Marshawn Powell pointed from the bench to the walk-on near the sidelines during the Hogs' second-to-last possession. They wanted the ball in Mason's hands for a basket.

They got their wish and Mason got the ball, drove to the hoop but was called for an offensive foul.

As Arkansas' backups trotted down the end of the floor to play defense, they were still smiling.

"It was really fun being able to see other guys on the team that work so hard, whether it's in practice or any certain point and come in and succeed," sharp-shooter Rotnei Clarke said.

Meanwhile, Delvon Johnson got to work on his hook shot, and Powell continued to look like the most experienced freshman in the SEC West.

It was all fun and games for the Razorbacks in the second half, who started the second half of the SEC season just as they wanted.

But now comes the biggest test and game of the season — a road trip to Alabama on Saturday. Win that game, and the Razorbacks are the favorite to win the SEC West at 7-3, and a favorite to snatch two more road games at Auburn and LSU.

A loss Saturday, though, could change the picture for the Razorbacks.

For now, let's look at this picture: the Hogs get two of their three toughest remaining opponents at home, and only the road trip to Tennessee on March 3 seems to be the most daunting game remaining on the schedule.

Simply put, a road win Saturday at Alabama puts the Hogs in the driver's seat in the SEC West.

And it's a seat the Hogs most likely will not give up if they show up and battle Saturday.

The last couple of games may have been about as much about vindication as it has been about wins.

Off the court, an August rape allegation involving three Razorbacks provided a cloud over the program. A special prosecutor decided last week not to file charges against the players — Mason, Glenn Bryant and Marcus Britt — because DNA evidence proved the players did not commit the sexual act they were accused.

The investigation, now closed, was a dark cloud hanging over the Hogs that had brought a hard rain and led to the Hogs' names being dragged through the mud.

That cloud should be far in the horizon, no longer shadowing the Basketball Palace of Mid-America.

And with losses and off-the-court issues in the rearview mirror, things are going as well as the Hogs could hope for on the court. A five-game winning streak and a spot atop the SEC West rankings is as good as you could expect as a player, coach or fan.

At Bud Walton Arena, it was all fun and games Wednesday against the Tigers.

And the Hogs deserved it.

Brandon Marcello is the online sports editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Northwest Arkansas Newspapers. He can be seen regularly in WholeHogSports.com's WholeHogCast and maintains a Razorback-related blog, The Slophouse.