NCAAB Game Preview - Texas A&M at LSU

Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:00 PM EST

First, the good news for No. 13 LSU.

The Tigers (22-5, 12-2 SEC) are tied atop the league standings with No. 4 Kentucky and No. 7 Tennessee and can clinch at least a share of their first regular-season conference title in 10 years by winning their last four games, starting with Tuesday night's matchup against improving Texas A&M.

The Aggies (12-15, 5-9) have won four of their past five games.

But LSU coach Will Wade has to deal with two pieces of uncomfortable speculation going into the game. On Monday, Yahoo Sports reported that Wade and Arizona coach Sean Miller will be subpoenaed to testify in late April in a federal trial probing corruption in college basketball.

"I just saw (the Yahoo report) when I was walking in here," Wade said at the beginning of his Monday news conference. "I had not heard anything about it until then. I am staying focused on our guys. I am focused on my team. My focus is on Texas A&M."

Wade then was asked about a rumored "rift" between him and point guard Tremont Waters. The sophomore candidate for SEC Player of the Year missed LSU's 82-80 overtime victory over Tennessee on Saturday due to an undisclosed illness.

"First, there is no rift between Tremont and me," Wade said.

"He's our point guard. He's our guy. Hopefully, we'll have him back sooner than later. ... Tremont was better (Sunday), and he is better today. He could be at practice today. He has not yet been evaluated. I don't know yet if Tremont is progressing to where he can play Tuesday night."

Waters is averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Wade's and Miller's names surfaced last October in the federal fraud trial of Christian Dawkins, an agent runner.

Wade said he is trying to keep his players focused on the task at hand. In the absence of Waters, freshman point guard Javonte Smart posted a season-high 29 points with five assists and five rebounds in leading LSU back from a nine-point deficit with less than six minutes left against Tennessee.

Making that win even more special: LSU overcame the fact that freshman forward Naz Reid, in foul trouble most of the game, scored just one point.

Wade said he is not talking to his players about winning the SEC title or making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.

"They know what's going on," he said. "It's a game-by-game thing. We have to stay hungry and desperate. We have to protect our home court Tuesday building off our big win Saturday."

Texas A&M has three players averaging double-digit points: Wendell Mitchell (13.4), Savion Flagg (12.8) and TJ Starks (12.6). LSU defeated Texas A&M 72-57 in College Station on Jan. 30.

Flagg, a sophomore, is the reigning SEC Player of the Week. He has averaged 21.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the past three games.

"He's getting better and his confidence level is up," coach Billy Kennedy said of Flagg, via TexAgs.com.

"We've been telling him to be aggressive early on and he started being aggressive. He had some success and he's playing with great confidence. He's doing it in rebounding, he's scoring, he's sharing the ball and he's doing it on the defensive end."

--Field Level Media