Ben Simmons is back, but Keith Hornsby’s season may be burnt.
After being benched from starting LSU’s 81-65 loss against Tennessee on Saturday for academic disciplinary reasons, LSU coach Johnny Jones said his glowing freshman forward will return to the Tigers’ starting lineup for a 6 p.m. tip on Tuesday against Arkansas in Bud Walton Arena.
“Ben has been a great model for us,” Jones said. “He’s all in. He’s bought in. He wants to do the things that are required of him, expected of him. He understands, whatever mistakes he’s made, he will deal with the consequences and move on.”
While Simmons returns to the starting lineup, Hornsby will not. Jones officially ruled out his starting senior guard against Arkansas (13-14, 6-8 Southeastern Conference) on Monday during a news conference.
Hornsby logged 12 minutes against the Volunteers before being sidelined for the remainder of the matchup with a recurring sports hernia injury — the same injury which caused him to miss seven games at the start of the season after a preseason surgery. Jones said Hornsby received X-rays on Sunday and met with the team’s doctor again on Monday.
“Nothing is definitive,” Jones said. “We are still waiting.”
The loss of Hornsby — the Tigers’ (16-11, 9-5 SEC) on-floor general and leading 3-point shooter at 41.5 percent — is crushing to LSU, Jones believes.
But, as Hornsby has been doing all season, he will continue to make his voice heard. Now, it’ll be consumed by others from a chair beside Jones against Arkansas, while also saying there is “no timetable” for his return for the remainder of the season.
“He’s going to have to be like a coach on the bench, staying locked in,” Jones said. “If he can’t play, being on the bench will mean a lot … We will need someone to step up with leadership. At this time of the year, we will need it.”
Jones noted sophomore guard Jalyn Patterson and freshman sharpshooter Brandon Sampson as possible replacements for Hornsby at shooting guard.
He also said sophomore forward Craig Victor and Simmons must command leadership in the midst of Hornsby’s absence.
“We’re hopeful someone will try and fill that void,” Jones said. “It will have to be several guys for what he meant to the team. We will miss him, if in fact he won’t be able to be on the floor with us.”
With Hornsby gone, and a two-game losing streak brewing, Jones had one message for the droopy Tigers — “bounce back.”
“And we’ve got to do it on the road,” Jones said. “It makes for a great league. Challenges are always out there for you. We’ve got a lot to be playing for, and we’re in a great spot. We’ve just got to make sure we win.”
After the losses, LSU remains tied for second in the SEC’s standings and sits well outside of the “Bubble Watch,” according to ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi.
Yet, to Jones, LSU remains in good graces as the SEC’s second seed. He said he found no resemblances in miscues during the back-to-back losses.
“Two different games,” Jones said. “We battled really well. We played decent enough in the second half against Tennessee to stay in striking distance. But, boy, they wound up getting in a rhythm, and we couldn’t get consecutive stops against them.”
The loss to Alabama hurt, but Tennessee’s was back-breaking.
Arkansas won’t do LSU any favors, either.
LSU has a 3-6 record on the road this season and is 13-3 in the PMAC, including a two-point win against Arkansas on Jan. 16 when Victor pushed in a tip-in layup with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Other than their records, the Tigers and Razorbacks remain twinned in nearly every other statistical category.
At 40.3 percent, Arkansas shoots the three-ball better than LSU, at 33.5 percent. Arkansas’ and LSU’s rebounding numbers are one point, in averages, apart from each other at 38.3 and 37.3 in LSU’s favor. Against SEC teams, Arkansas allows an average of 77.1 points per game, and LSU allows 76.1 points a game.
Moses Kingsley, Dusty Hannahs and Anthlon Bell lead the Razorback charge — all three of whom average 16 points per game, and shoot 43 percent or more from the field.
“Those guys have done a tremendous job at home,” Jones said. “They have three guys who are averaging 16-plus points a game. They play fast. They press. It’s another great road opportunity for us.”