Vanderbilt Commodores vs Louisiana State Tigers Box Score on Mar 09, 2019

Playing without suspended head coach Will Wade and two of its top four scorers, No. 10 LSU routed Vanderbilt 80-59 on Saturday at Baton Rouge, La.

Tremont Waters scored 14 points and had eight assists as LSU (26-5, 16-2) captured its first outright regular-season SEC title since 2009.

With the sellout crowd waving "Free Will Wade" signs, LSU easily dispatched Vanderbilt (9-22, 0-18), which lost its last 19 games of the season and was the first team since Georgia Tech in 1953-54 to go winless in SEC play.

LSU finished one game ahead of No. 5 Tennessee, which was upset by Auburn earlier in the day, and No. 6 Kentucky.

LSU drained seven 3-pointers in the first half -- including 4 of 4 by Darius Days -- to take a 43-28 lead. The Tigers led by as many as 30 points with 5:26 left and coasted to the victory.

Besides Waters, five other Tigers were in double figures: Days (15 points), Skylar Mays (13), Marshall Graves (12), Kavell Bigby-Williams (10, plus 11 rebounds) and Marlon Taylor (10).

Vanderbilt was paced by Saben Lee with 16 points.

Wade was suspended indefinitely Friday by LSU chancellor F. King Alexander and athletic director Joe Alleva when he refused to further discuss with them his role in a developing federal probe into illegal recruiting practices in college basketball.

Fans booed Alleva as he walked to his seat before the game.

LSU officials held Javonte Smart, whose recruitment is reportedly being probed, out of the game "in an abundance of caution" trying to minimize potential fallout from the NCAA in case LSU is determined to have engaged in illegal recruiting practices.

Also missing the game, due to an injury he sustained against Florida on Wednesday night, was freshman forward Naz Reid.

Tony Benford, who served as head coach of North Texas, was named interim head coach Friday.

As conference champion, LSU will have five days off until it plays its first game on Friday in the SEC tournament in Nashville against the winner of Florida-Arkansas.

--Field Level Media