Those close to the LSU Basketball program say it's not really a matter of  "if" Coach Johnny Jones tenure with the school will come to an end, it's more a matter of "when". Needless to say the clock is ticking.

The rumors were already flying over the past few days. The speculation was that as soon as the Tigers were eliminated from the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Jones would be terminated.

Last night in their first game of the tourney the Tigers fell to Mississippi State by a score of 79-52.

That's just one of the many double digit losses the Tiger team has been a part of this year. If you really want to know, 16 times LSU was defeated by ten points or more. This was the Bulldogs third time to beat the Tigers this season.

The announcement of Jones departure could come as soon as today. Athletic Director Joe Alleva is expected to address the issues with the LSU Basketball program if not today then very soon. Jones has been at the helm of Tiger basketball for five years. The Tigers only won 10 games this season so the writing was really on the wall.

Speculation has already begun as to who LSU might hire as their next basketball head coach. The word is that Alleva has money spend and will be looking for a big name. A lot of media outlets are already putting together an LSU wish list which includes Coach Chris Collins who is currently at Northwestern. That's the Northwestern in Chicago, not Natchitoches. Another name on the hot list is Scott Drew of Baylor.

Obviously, the LSU job is a high-profile job. However, whomever the new coach is he will always play second fiddle to football and maybe even third fiddle because of the passion for LSU Baseball.

More From 1130 The Tiger