LSU’s Naz Reed had 26 points and 14 rebounds against Florida in the SEC Tournament game Friday.

NASHVILLE — The status of Javonte Smart’s eligibility for the SEC Tournament was still up in the air on Friday morning.

With a little more than two hours before tipoff between LSU and Florida inside Bridgestone Arena, LSU interim coach Tony Benford proudly informed the freshman guard that he could in fact participate in the quarterfinal matchup inside Bridgestone Arena.

“Coach Benford told me this morning,” Smart said Friday. “When he told me, the team. I came out of the elevator, the team welcomed me back. At practice the other day, we had a good practice. I was just ready to come out, help the team.”

Benford, who had Smart ready to go by telling him that there was a “90 to 95 percent” chance of playing during film study that morning, finally got the call that Smart was cleared while his team was getting onto the team bus.

“I called him about 9:45, let him know he’s been cleared,” Benford said. “He was really excited. His teammates were all on the bus, ran off the bus, were really excited he was going to be available.” 

Smart was held out of the team’s regular season finale against Vanderbilt by the university for “an abundance of caution” after speculation ran rampant that “the Smart thing” that suspended head coach Will Wade said in a wiretapped conversation by the FBI was in fact the former Scotland Magnet High star.

With his status uncertain all week, how did Smart remain positive? Easy. The support provided by his family, teammates and coaches.

“It’s a lot on your mind,” Smart said. 

“My family was behind me. My coaches and my teammates, they told me stay in there, stick in there, just keep faith in God. Always keep faith in God. 

“He gave me the chance to come out here and help my guys. 

“We failed today, but had a good game.”

Smart came off the bench in Friday’s 76-73 loss to Florida to score 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, with 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. 

No Wade, no problem

As of Saturday, it appears that the LSU’s second-year head coach is still refusing to meet and discuss with university officials regarding the FBI wiretap conversations, which are part of a larger corruption investigation, that feature him talking to a low-level agent Christian Dawkins. 

LSU has stated that if Wade does not talk to them that he will not be reinstated as head coach and remain indefinitely suspended.

That means that the Tigers will march into the NCAA Tournament without their head coach.

That fact doesn’t seem to matter, or at least publicly faze, the young men on the team.

“We stay together,” Smart said. “Coach (Tony) Benford is a coach, we lost Coach Wade, but we’re going to stay together, be a family. Hopefully win the whole thing.”

Fellow Tiger freshman Naz Reid echoed that sentiment, “Coach Benford, he’s another head coach. Going to be the same thing. I mean, we’re going to stop listening or applying the things that’s been told to us. I mean, we’re a basketball team. We respect him. We just to win it all if we can.”

Fourth straight losses

LSU’s defeat Friday also meant that the Tigers have now lost four straight games at the tournament. 76-73 to Florida on Friday in quarterfinals, 80-77 to Mississippi State in 2018 quarterfinals, 79-52 to Mississippi State in 2017 quarterfinals, and 71-38 to Texas A&M in 2016 semifinals. 

The Tigers’ last win occurred at the SEC Tournament came in 2016 when LSU defeated Tennessee, 84-75, in the quarterfinals. 

Top seed bounced early

With LSU being upset by Florida on Friday, that marked the second-straight year in which the SEC Tournament No. 1 seed has lost its opening game. 

Last year, Alabama stunned rival Auburn in the quarterfinals. 

It was the first time since the 1990-91 seasons that the tournament’s top seed went 0-1.

Quote of the Day

“No, sir. I have nothing to do with that.” — Javonte Smart when asked whether he had any knowledge of the offer that Wade was quoted as saying on the FBI wiretap.