Vanderbilt @ Louisiana State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 20, 2018 ) Vanderbilt 78, Louisiana State 88

LSU can win its first SEC regular-season title since 2009 with a victory over visiting Vanderbilt on Saturday but will attempt to do so without its coach. Will Wade was suspended indefinitely by the school Friday after he was reportedly heard on a 2017 wiretap obtained by the FBI discussing a deal to land a recruit with aspiring agent Christian Dawkins, who was sentenced to six months in prison Tuesday for his role in the college basketball corruption scandal.

"All of us at LSU share the obligation to protect the integrity of this institution," the university said in the statement concerning Wade, who has already been subpoenaed to testify April 22 in a federal trial. The No. 10 Tigers, who will be coached by assistant Tony Benford, are tied with No. 4 Tennessee - one game ahead of No. 6 Kentucky - and figure to have little trouble with Vanderbilt despite the Wade situation. The Commodores have already set a school record for losses in a season and are trying to avoid the first winless SEC campaign since Georgia Tech went 0-14 in 1953-54. Vanderbilt extended its school record to 18 straight losses by getting drubbed 84-48 by Arkansas on Tuesday for its most-lopsided setback of the season.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT VANDERBILT (9-21, 0-17 SEC): Forward Simisola Shittu (11.4 points) leads all conference freshmen in rebounding with a club-high 6.8 while recording a pair of double-doubles in his last four games. Freshman forward Aaron Nesmith (11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) averaged 8.3 points in his last three games after going for 19.3 in his previous four. Sophomore guard Saben Lee leads the team with 12.4 points and 4.0 assists but has reached double-figure points in only two of his last seven contests.

ABOUT LSU (25-5, 15-2): Freshman forward Naz Reid (13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds) departed Wednesday's 79-78 overtime victory at Florida in the final seconds and left the court on a stretcher for precautionary reasons after suffering from dehydration. Freshman guard Javonte Smart, who appears to be a focal point in the discussion on the wiretap, averages 11.5 points but scored a total of 80 in his last four games. Sophomore guard Tremont Waters averages team highs of 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and an SEC-most 3.0 steals after recording 19, six and three Wednesday in his second game since missing two because of illness.

TIP-INS

1. LSU F Kavell Bigby-Williams (7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds) and G Daryl Edwards (4.4 points) will be honored on Senior Night.

2. Vanderbilt is one of three schools (Princeton, UNLV) to make a 3-point basket in every game since the inception of the line for the 1986-87 season.

3. The Tigers lead the SEC in rebounding (38.7 per game) and steals (9.3).

PREDICTION: LSU 81, Vanderbilt 59