Hangin' in there, but will have to beat #1 seed Texas A&M tomorrow, then another on Sunday or else it's NIT then NBA for Simmons.

(12) Tennessee 75
(4) LSU 84

Team 1 2
TENN 33 42
LSU 32 52


Blakeney scores 22, LSU beats Tennessee 84-75 at SEC tourney
By TERESA M. WALKER (AP Sports Writer)

LSU's Tim Quarterman (55) is fouled by Tennessee's Admiral Schofield (5) during the first half …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Ben Simmons watched 15 minutes of the first half from the bench after picking up two quick fouls. His LSU teammates made sure the freshman star's early absence proved no problem at all.

Antonio Blakeney led five Tigers in double figures with 22 points, and No. 4 seed LSU beat 12th-seeded Tennessee 84-75 Friday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

''It's frustrating, but obviously it was for the best for the team for coach (Johnny Jones) to do that,'' Simmons said. ''It made sense to come in in the second half, and I didn't have to worry about getting that third foul because I was going to stay in.''

The Tigers likely need to win this tournament to give Simmons a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. Now LSU (19-13) has won three of four, and the Tigers will play No. 17 Texas A&M, a 72-66 winner over Florida, in the semifinals Saturday.

''We have to play well,'' Jones said. ''If we do that, we'll be at 20 wins. As well, we finished in the top (four) in our league. We feel that we're in a very powerful league. We hope that stands for something, and it will certainly carry some weight. That's what we look forward to.''