NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ben Simmons watched 15 minutes of the first half from the bench after picking up two quick fouls. His LSU teammates made sure the freshman star's early absence proved no problem at all.
Antonio Blakeney led five Tigers in double figures with 22 points, and No. 4 seed LSU beat 12th-seeded Tennessee 84-75 Friday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
"It's frustrating, but obviously it was for the best for the team for coach (Johnny Jones) to do that," Simmons said. "It made sense to come in in the second half, and I didn't have to worry about getting that third foul because I was going to stay in.