Without its top scorer Kevin Punter Jr., Tennessee still crushed LSU, 81-65, on Saturday in Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena.
Punter is second in the SEC in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game, behind Ole Miss’ 5-foot-10 sharpshooter Stefan Moody.
But, no Punter, no problem.
“We didn’t make a big deal about it,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes on Punter’s absence.
LSU (16-11, 9-5 SEC) seemed out of sorts from the tip, when freshman point-forward Ben Simmons started the game against Tennessee (13-14, 6-8 SEC) in an orange and white chair from the bench.
Simmons’ benching was a result of academic disciplinary action, ESPN reported during the game’s television broadcast.
The Tigers committed 12 first half turnovers and knocked in only 25 points through the first 20 minutes of play. LSU committed 16 team turnovers in 40 minutes, eight of which, came from the reserve Simmons’ hands.
“Five guys guard him,” Barnes said.
Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney combined to shoot 8-for-11 from the field in the opening period, compared to all other Tiger players who shot 3-for-20.
The two finished with 41 of LSU’s 65 points, on a 17-for-31 shooting night from the field. The rest of the Tigers team combined to shoot 8 for 31.
Tennessee 6-foot-4 forward Armani Moore was tasked with guarding the injured Simmons — who’s battling a nagging left ring finger injury.
Moore excelled, posting 17 points of his own along with 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Tennessee was unsure if Punter would be able to play before the game, so it’s offensive game-plan remained the same.
“Without [Kevin Punter] we weren’t in as good of sync offensively but once we settled in we started doing some nice things,” Barnes said.
In the half, senior guard Keith Hornsby was sidelined with an undisclosed injury, and did not return in the second half.
Without Hornsby, LSU struggled even more in the latter half.
LSU clawed to shorten the Volunteers suffocating 15-point lead at the 14:51 mark, but the Tigers were too late, leading to their eventual 16-point loss.
Lethargically, LSU moved to a 3-6 record on the road this season, which may have sealed the Tigers’ spot in the NIT Tournament and not the NCAA Tournament.