By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
First, LSU wins a basketball game in the Southeastern Conference.
And now, it has a chance to get junior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. – the heart and soul of its team – back for Tuesday night at No. 16 Florida (6 p.m., ESPN2) after missing the Tigers’ first five SEC games with a lower leg injury. Thomas was listed as “questionable” in LSU coach Matt McMahon’s availability report to the SEC office on Monday night.
Thomas, who leads LSU with 16.2 points a game and led the SEC with 7.0 assists a game before conference play began, had been listed as “doubtful” before LSU’s last five games.
LSU held a Kentucky Exorcism Saturday and invited Missouri as a stand-in:https://t.co/bFgmix4qQI
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) January 18, 2026
The Tigers (13-5, 1-4 SEC) beat Missouri on Saturday, 78-70, at home without Thomas, the No. 6-ranked point guard in the NCAA Transfer Portal after last season from UNLV who dramatically rejuvenated LSU’s offense and proved to be good on defense as well.
Thomas suffered the injury at practice before the Tigers left for their league opener at Texas A&M on Jan. 3. Thomas was the quarterback of LSU’s offense and made his teammates better. And the Tigers have not been the same without him, losing 75-72 at A&M, 78-68 at home to South Carolina, 84-73 at No. 15 Vanderbilt, and 75-74 at home to Kentucky at the buzzer after leading by nine points, 65-56, at the six-minute mark of the second half.
Questionable only means, though, that a player has a chance to play.
UNLV’S DJ THOMAS HAS BEEN A SOLID BET FOR LSU
“You see how effective D.J. is in the open floor,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said after Thomas’ last game on Dec. 29 against Southern Mississippi when he scored 22 points with 12 assists in a 90-62 win. “He has such a great feel of the game and vision against different coverages. He’s just so smart. Just thought he was fantastic.”
McMahon was unavailable for comment on Monday, but he has said on several occasions that he does not want to rush Thomas back for fear he may aggravate the injury.
LSU’s next game after Florida is at No. 20 Arkansas (13-5, 3-2 SEC) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).
Thomas was the No. 15 prospect in the portal overall after last season by 247sports.com. A four-star prospect out of Liberty High in Henderson, Nevada, in 2023, Thomas was the No. 34 player in the nation and No. 8 point guard when he signed with UNLV. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.6 assists last season at UNLV and was heavily recruited by national champion Florida.
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