Update on status of star guard Xavier Pinson ahead of LSU-Vanderbilt game
Sheldon Mickles of the Baton Rouge Advocate took a picture of LSU star guard Xavier Pinson during warmups ahead of the LSU-Vanderbilt matchup tonight at 6:00 PM EST. He was seen wearing a new knee brace and it appears he might try to play.
Just two days ago, LSU head men’s basketball coach Will Wade told reporters that he wasn’t likely to play in the Vandy game, ““If it costs us a game, it costs us a game. We’ve got to get him right,” he said.
Wade also noted that Pinson was operating at about 70 percent, but that he needs to be closer to 85 percent to be effective. He suffered a knee injury on Jan. 8 after slipping on a wet spot at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Further tests a few weeks ago revealed it was a knee sprain and not an ACL tear.
The Tigers are severely banged up at the moment as the following players have injuries: Brandon Murray has a thumb injury, Eric Gaines has a wrist injury, and Justice Williams has a toe injury, according to LSU head coach Wade also revealed on Thursday afternoon.
Those injuries are also on top of Adam Miller having a torn ACL and being out for the season. Despite being banged up, LSU still sits at 16-6 overall on the season and 4-5 in the SEC. The Tigers just lost 76-72 to Ole Miss a few days ago. Darius Days pumped in a double double for LSU in the loss, 21 points and 13 rebounds.
One of Pinson’s best games of the 2021-2022 season came against Lipscomb on Dec. 22, when he dumped in 17 points with five assists. He also pumped in 13 points and six assists against Georgia Tech on Dec. 11.
Pinson decided to transfer from Missouri during the spring of 2021. He played for the Tigers for his first three seasons of college basketball. During the 2020-2021 season, he averaged 13.6 points per game, 2.9 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game.