BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s basketball team plays it’s final regular season game Saturday at 3 p.m. against Vanderbilt in the Pete Maravich Center, but for the first time since 2000, the game will have more than the normal Senior Day intrigue.
The Tigers, winners of the last six Senior Day contests, will honor Antonio Hudson, Josh Maravich, Xavier Whipple and Paul Wolfert in ceremonies prior to the game at 2:45 p.m. But then the game intrigue will begin as the Tigers (18-8, 11-4) have a chance to not only be the No. 1 seed from the Western Division, but also the champions of the Western Division.
Tickets for the game are available until 10 a.m. on Saturday for just $5 on line at www.LSUsports.net. Ticket windows will open at the Maravich Center at 1:30 p.m. and those with tickets from the noon LSU-UAB baseball game can purchase $5 tickets by showing their baseball ticket stub at the game. Also bowlers in town for the American Bowling Congress Tournament can purchase tickets for $5 by showing their ABC membership card.
The game will be regionally televised by JP Sports and was moved to its afternoon starting spot as the league’s wild-card telecast. The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge).
The Tigers will know a lot of their fate before tip-off as Alabama and Mississippi State meet in Starkville at 12:30 p.m. Alabama is tied with LSU at 11-4 and will capture the No. 1 seed from the Western Division with a win over State.
LSU comes into the game winners of five straight, including a 58-53 win at Ole Miss on Wednesday, giving LSU a 4-4 record on the road in the league.
Vanderbilt comes in with a record of 18-11 overall and 8-7 in the SEC, certainly still trying to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 76-65 win over South Carolina Wednesday.
“We were fortunate to defend well against Ole Miss as they did a good job on us,” said LSU Coach John Brady. “We found a way to win with Glen Davis and Brandon Bass having their poorest offensive performances. But have to give Ole Miss credit for that. We have a chance to win the SEC Western Division on our home court this weekend. Depending on what happens in Starkville, we could still be the No. 1 seed. But regardless, we are playing for a championship this weekend if we win at home. We’ve come a long way since our November and December struggles. I’ve got to give my team a lot of credit for that.”
The Tigers will play as either the No. 1 or 2 seed from the West in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.