As the clock ticked down and Arkansas fans started to slowly leave the arena just before their Razorbacks’ “upset” of LSU was complete, the thought of Ben Simmons not making the NCAA Tournament finally sunk in for the college hoops world.
Not since Michael Olowokandi failed to lead Pacific to the Big Dance in 1998 has the future No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft failed to play on college basketball’s biggest stage with a chance to leave their names in the history books. But as the Tigers and Simmons dropped to 16-12, 9-6 on the season, we’re finally faced with that reality this season.
Simmons has been brilliant, I don’t think anyone would argue that. He’s accumulated season-long stats of 19.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and five steals per game, while shooting 56-percent from the field. He’s been all over, dominating games on a nightly basis, at least individually.
But that begs the question, what does this season for LSU say about their star, about the player we’ve all but crowned as being the top pick in this year’s draft?
So many people have compared Simmons’ abilities with the likes of LeBron James, or other big man who can handle the ball and distribute it to teammates, yet what those players so often did was make the players around them better. With his team now losing three-straight in a stretch where they could barely afford to lose one, are we ready to say that Simmons, in a year of weakness across all of college basketball, is a true difference maker?
It’s been an unbelievable season for the freshman Aussie, but the reality of Ben Simmons not making the NCAA Tournament is settling in, and questions must be asked.
