NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Forty minutes, 22 points and five trips to the bathroom later, Antonio Blakeney glowed on the Southeastern Conference’s biggest stage.
In their opening game of the SEC Tournament the Tigers (19-13, 11-7 SEC) throttled a foul-cursed Tennessee team, 84-75, in one of the tournament’s four quarterfinal matchups.
While LSU was practicing yesterday, Blakeney started feeling a headache approaching and what followed may have been stinky, and contagious.
“Hopefully I don’t get anyone else on our team sick,” he said after LSU’s possible season-salvaging win.
Blakeney started his eighth-straight game for LSU on Friday because he doesn’t believe in sicknesses, he said.
“I knew a few guys on our team had the flu, but I don’t believe in getting sick so I was going to play regardless,” he said. “Whatever it was, I had to play through it.”
He played through the unexpected bitterness and excelled. Blakeney scored a team-leading 22 points on 50 percent shooting, and added a perfect 9-for-9 clip from the free-throw line in all 40 minutes.
His illness clearly didn’t hold him back, but to him, it did.
“I hesitated on a lot of shots tonight,” Blakeney, who made six of his 12 shots against the Volunteers, said. “I don’t know what it was. I was thinking too much about being sick. It’s alright, tomorrow I just have to come out more aggressive.”
Freshman forward and SEC Freshman of the Year Ben Simmons continuously told Blakeney to shoot when he had the open look. Most of the time, he would shoot, and it the last six games, Blakeney’s listened to the advice and shined.
Blakeney has rattled off 18, or more, points in the last six outings — four of which, he scored 20-plus points. Among the last four games, Blakeney has knocked in 28-straight free throws.
“Antonio’s been playing really well in the last few games for us,” Simmons said. “He’s been one of our main guys.”
“It’s big when he comes in. He just makes shots,” junior guard Tim Quarterman said.
After yesterday’s practice, Blakeney’s treatment began. He didn’t specify that his sickness was the flu, but the symptoms say otherwise. Before the Tigers tipped off against the Volunteers, Blakeney lived in the bathroom.
“Before the game, it was hard for me to breathe and my stomach was really acting up,” Blakeney said as he ate a banana after the win. “I had to use the bathroom like five times before the game.”
LSU is resting the freshman sharpshooter as much as possible during the busy tournament week and weekend.
To Blakeney, the healing process is simple.
“Taking medicine,” he said. “Resting. Drinking a lot of fluids and stuff.”
Tomorrow, Blakeney may remain ill, but he’ll have another opportunity as LSU advanced in the tournament and will face top-seeded Texas A&M at noon in Saturday’s semifinal matchup.
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter: @CBoutwell_TDR.