LSU freshman guard Javonte Smart will play as the Tigers begin the Southeastern Conference Tournament against Florida, according to a release from LSU. 
Smart did not play in LSU’s regular season finale against Vanderbilt in an “abundance of caution” as the University looks into reported wiretaps involving coach Will Wade. 
Smart played in the other 30 games this season, starting 17 of them. He averaged 11.5 point and 3.3 rebounds per game. 
The FBI wiretap involved a 2017 phone conversation with college basketball middleman Christian Dawkins. Wade reportedly made a “strong-ass offer” to a recruit, which was assumed to be Smart after Wade referenced a “smart thing.”
An ESPN report stated that Wade joked that the recruit was worth more than the “rookie minimum.”