LEXINGTON, KY - LSU says that freshman Ben Simmons is ineligible for the John R. Wooden Award that will be presented to the nation's top player.

The 15-player list of men's finalists was released Saturday minus the 6-foot-10 forward, who entered Saturday's 94-77 loss at No. 22 Kentucky averaging 19.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Several reports Saturday stated that Simmons was academically ineligible for the award, but LSU athletics spokesman Michael Bonnette said only that the player didn't meet the award's requirements, without being specific.

LSU coach Johnny Jones said after the game that he "wasn't sure" why Simmons was ineligible but was told the player did not meet all of the award's criteria.