For anyone who thought the LSU Tigers were on upset alert, they were dead wrong. No scandal or suspension was going to stop the East Region's No. 3 seed from putting their foot down on the No. 14 Yale Bulldogs early and holding on for a big-time win Thursday afternoon.
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The Tigers, who are being coached by Tony Benford instead of the suspended Will Wade, took control of the NCAA Tournament from the opening tip. Sure, Yale gave LSU all it wanted in the second half, but survive and advance is the name of the game this time of year.
March Madness is about giving it your all, and Emmitt Williams took that to heart. With just over six minutes remaining, the LSU freshman forward gave his best acting job while trying to get a foul call and ended the game with brown stains on his white jersey.
Williams, a 6-foot-6 big man who always plays with next-level tenacity for the SEC regular-season champs, dove going out of bounds and crashed into press row. It just so happened to spoil the set up of Belmont's radio set and tumbled over one of the announcers.
https://twitter.com/CBBSuperFan/status/1108798031225384960
At first glance, it looked pretty innocent other than the flop. Then, the slo-motion replay shows soda flying everywhere as everyone went to the ground.
Thankfully, it sounds like everyone is all good, but it's definitely the first really bizarre moment in a college basketball tournament that's known for many.
Spillage on scorers table at Yale-LSU gives BodyArmor some nice exposure on cup in its first year as NCAA partner. pic.twitter.com/lNEuLyGkpw
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 21, 2019
Williams finished the game with six points and five rebounds in LSU's 79-74 win over Yale. Yet, it was the mess he called that will have people in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and across the country talking throughout the day.
Emmitt Williams crashed into press row for a loose ball and his jersey bears the soda marks. pic.twitter.com/jwnu8DaPCe
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) March 21, 2019
Skylar Mays led the Tigers with 19 points, while Tremont Waters (15 points), Naz Reid (14 points) and Kavell Bigby-Williams (10 points) also scored in double figures. Javonte Smart came off the bench to chip in nine points.
