Australian star Ben Simmons was benched early for "academic reasons" as his Louisiana State team slumped to a 81-65 college basketball loss to Tennessee.
Expected to be the No.1 NBA draft pick in June, freshman Simmons was surprisingly left sitting on the bench for the first four and half minutes of Saturday's match.
"We had to address some academic stuff with him earlier in the week," explained LSU head coach Johnny Jones.
"This is just one of the attention getters for him.
"We're hopeful that this will help get him focused and concentrated on what he should be doing."
The 19-year-old Simmons went on to score 21 points and pull down nine rebounds in his 36 minutes on court.
However he also reportedly appeared lacklustre at times and gave up eight turnovers, matching his season high, as the Tigers' season record slipped to 16-11, and 9-5 in south eastern conference matches, denting their chances of making the NCAA tournament.
It was a disappointing day for Simmons who has shown his exceptional promise this season, averaging 19.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists before Saturday and playing a key role in wins over powerhouses Kentucky and Texas A&M and a two-point loss to No.1 ranked Oklahoma.
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