The LSU men’s basketball team has gone through a vast array of starting lineups in the past few games, but it almost needed one more for tonight’s contest. Junior forward Glen Davis bruised his right quadriceps muscle in the Tigers’ 71-67 win Saturday against the University of Arkansas. He did not practice Monday but participated in Tuesday’s practice and is expected to play when LSU (14-10, 3-7) faces Ole Miss (16-8, 5-5) in Oxford, Miss., tonight at 7. LSU coach John Brady said he noticed Davis favoring the leg following Saturday’s victory but did not know the extent of the injury. Brady said Monday after practice that he expects the reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year to do everything in his power to be able to play tonight. “I would think Glen knows the importance of us playing well on Wednesday,” Brady said. “Our team with him in it gives us a better chance [to win] than without him.” Davis has been one of the mainstays in a frontcourt that has used four different lineups in 10 SEC games this season. Sophomore center Chris Johnson, sophomore forward Magnum Rolle and senior forward Darnell Lazare have each started one of the past three games alongside Davis. The Tigers’ pregame notes list Lazare as the other starting forward for tonight’s contest. Sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell said the player alongside Davis depends on whether offense or defense is needed. “If we need a [No.] 4 man that can score, we’ll play Chris,” Mitchell said. “If we need somebody to block some shots, we put Big Mags [Rolle] in. Coach is trying to find a chemistry, and [whoever] plays good at that particular time that’s [who] he’s going to play.” Brady said he has no set rotation that decides who plays when but depends on his coaching staff to see what he cannot during the game. “I’m constantly on the bench asking for opinions and ideas,” Brady said. “I want to know what other people are seeing and what they feel.” What the SEC sees recently is an Ole Miss team on the rise in the conference standings. With three straight victories, including a 75-69 win Saturday against No. 25 University of Alabama, the Rebels and the Crimson Tide are both the SEC West leaders. Lazare said the team now realizes it is still in the hunt for an SEC title and possibly more. “I think the intensity was even higher after our win because we know what’s at stake now,” Lazare said. “We know that we have to go out there and win games from here on out to have an opportunity to compete for a national championship.”
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