The other end of Wednesday night’s postgame handshake may be a little looser for LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson.
Instead of aggressive Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, who claims to bench 285 pounds, Johnson will face interim coach Tony Jones.
Jones will continue to lead in Pearl’s place Wednesday as the Tigers (10-9, 2-2) take on the Volunteers at 7 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Pearl is in his fifth game of an eight-game Southeastern Conference suspension for violating NCAA rules and misleading investigators.
But Tennessee is not the only team missing a main component.
The Tigers have been without Ralston Turner for four games with a stress reaction in his foot, but the freshman guard was able to participate in parts of practice Monday.
Turner is out of his walking boot, while junior forward Storm Warren is back in one thanks to a lingering Achilles injury.
“We’ve got a lot of boots,” Johnson laughed.
Johnson said Turner likely won’t play until Saturday’s game against Alabama.
Warren is questionable for the Tennessee game after scoring six points Saturday in 12 minutes of play against Ole Miss.
“He’s taken a step back,” Johnson said. “If Storm can go Wednesday more effectively than how he went Saturday, we’ll put him out there first as well as [junior forward] Malcolm [White].”
The Tigers are reeling from two consecutive routs from Kentucky, 82-44, and Ole Miss, 78-51, which lowered expectations back down to earth after a 2-0 conference start.
LSU thought it had a shot to gain its third conference victory against the then-winless Rebels.
“We came into the game thinking we could win,” said freshman point guard Andre Stringer. “We knew they were a good team, but it could have been a good win for us.”
All is not lost for LSU, however.
“Don’t get caught up in how you start a season or league as opposed to how you sustain,” Johnson said.
The Tigers still sit tied for second with Alabama in the SEC West.
“We can still turn it around this year,” said freshman guard Matt Derenbecker. “We’re 2-2 in the SEC, which isn’t a horrible record to be at.”
Four teams in the SEC East have recorded at least 14 wins, but no SEC West squads have reached the 14-win pinnacle.
Tennessee is tied for last place in the East with a .500 conference record.
“Tennessee is without question a very good basketball team, probably as talented a team in this league,” Johnson said. “You don’t beat Villanova and Pittsburgh and Georgia on the road without being very talented and skilled.”
Pearl, who was allowed to coach through the Volunteers’ non-conference schedule, returned for Tennessee’s 72-61 loss against Connecticut on Saturday.
“For me, it was good to get back, and it was fun to be in the game for awhile,” Pearl said in a news release. “It was fun to have some affect on the game.”
The sixth-year coach can practice with the team, but he is not allowed to participate in team activities on days of SEC games until Tennessee’s matchup with Kentucky on Feb. 8.
 
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]