By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
AP Sports Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — LSU forward Tyrus Thomas may not get the extra day of rest his coach wanted, but the Tigers are hoping he’ll be ready for their NCAA tournament opener.
Thomas is expected to see action for fourth-seeded LSU (23-8) when it meets Iona (23-7) in the first round of the Atlanta Regional at Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday.
The Tigers have played their last four games without Thomas, who’s nursing an injured ankle. The explosive freshman had 13 double-doubles this season and led the SEC with 3.0 blocks per game. He averages 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds.
LSU coach John Brady was hoping his team would open play Friday to give Thomas an additional day off. Instead, he’ll have to get the conference’s co-freshman of the year ready for Thursday.
“The biggest thing with Tyrus may be his conditioning as opposed to his ankle by game time on Thursday,” Brady said. “We might just have to play Tyrus in short stretches. As opposed to playing 12 or 14 minutes straight, maybe he can just go five and take him out, let him rest and put him back in. The more he plays, the better he’ll feel and the more comfortable he’ll feel.”
The Tigers have plenty of talent besides Thomas, including SEC player of the year Glen Davis. The 6-foot-9, 310-pound Davis, nicknamed “Big Baby,” had an SEC-leading 18 double-doubles and should have a distinct advantage against Iona’s best inside player, 6-8, 240-pound forward Kiril Wachsmann.
“It don’t matter who you play,” said Davis, who averages 18.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. “This is March Madness, and anything can happen. It’s time to play now. We’ve got some games to win.”
First team All-SEC guard Darrel Mitchell is the top perimeter player for LSU. Mitchell shot 41 percent on 3-pointers and averaged 17.3 points.
LSU’s fourth NCAA appearance in Brady’s nine years comes on the 20th anniversary of the lone Final Four appearance in school history. The Tigers are looking for their first NCAA victory since a 72-67 second-round win over Texas in 2000.
Iona is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001. The Gaels are 1-7 in the NCAAs, with their lone win coming in 1980 when a team led by current coach Jeff Ruland beat Holy Cross in the first round.
This season’s club features a guard-oriented attack led by Steve Burtt Jr., the nation’s sixth-leading scorer at 25.2 points per game. The senior averaged 27.7 points in three games to help the Gaels capture the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title.
“They don’t have the size or athleticism, but teams at that midlevel usually have good guard play, and when you do you have a good chance to win a basketball game,” Brady said.
Wachsmann will be the primary defender against Davis, but Ruland plans to provide him with plenty of help.
“We’ll throw the kitchen sink at him,” he said.
Iona won’t be intimidated by facing a high-profile opponent. The Gaels won at Iowa State 89-72 on Nov. 26 and fell 73-67 to then-No. 19 Kentucky on Dec. 23.
In addition, Iona rallied from double-digit deficits in seven victories this season.
“The longer it goes on Thursday and the closer it is on Thursday, the better,” Ruland said. “But our guys will never give up, even going down 15 or 20. We have the ability to come back. These guys are resilient.”
The winner will face Syracuse or Texas A&M in the second round Saturday.