Brooks Holton

USA Today Network

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — LSU sophomore guard Tremont Waters started with the ball near half court. As time ticked away, he drove to the basket and made a go-ahead layup off the glass with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

With one final defensive stand, the No. 3-seeded Tigers defeated No. 6 Maryland 69-67 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

After the win, Waters was asked about late teammate Wayde Sims, who was shot and killed in September 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before the first team's first official practice. Wearing a commemorative Sims No. 44 patch on his jersey as he spoke, Waters said the win was for his fallen teammate.

"He's always with us, said Waters, who put the No. 44 in the air after the final horn sounded to celebrate the win. "Obviously, we lost a brother, but we understand that he's always with us.

"Our score was 44 at one point, and we all stopped in the huddle, looked up at the scoreboard, and just said, '44' ... we just knew we needed to get this one for him."

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NCAA Tournament 2019: How to watch LSU vs. Maryland basketball on TV, stream online