BATON ROUGE – Johnny Jones announced Sunday that LSU basketball will not participate in a post season tournament this year. 

“We will be able to utilize this time to get better and start preparations for next season. We fell short of the mark of getting to the NCAA Tournament; I take full responsibility for this team, and will do the things necessary to make sure we are able to reach one of our main goals at LSU in the future,” Jones said.

Jones said he consulted with his staff and met with the team earlier on Sunday before announcing the decision.

LSU lost its senior leader Keith Hornsby who had a season-ending surgery Tuesday after re-aggravating an internal injury he received in November. That injury caused him to miss the first month of the season. 

“That also factored into our decision, but it is primarily now my responsibility to begin working and preparing our players for the prospects that lie ahead,” Jones said.

The Tigers send the season 19-14 on the year, and 11-7 in the SEC. LSU tied for third place in the conference.