TigerBait.com - Lady Tigers have faced tall odds all season

March 24, 2009

William Weathers
TigerBait.com Managing Editor

There were certain visions LSU women's basketball coach Van Chancellor had when his team stood with a 12-9 overall record and was seventh in the Southeastern Conference at 5-4 mark with five games left in the regular season.

Playing in a second round game in the NCAA Tournament March 24 wasn't exactly near the top of that list.

"At one time this season, we thought we would be out playing golf today, so I'm overjoyed," Chancellor said.

When Chancellor spoke about the accomplishments of his youthful team this season he talked with a great deal of perspective. The year after a senior-laden team extended the program's run of trips to the Final Four to five the Lady Tigers are back in a position to keep another streak alive with a seventh consecutive Sweet 16 berth.

That's what is on the line when No. 6 seed LSU (19-10) hosts No. 3 Louisville (30-4) at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and will be televised by ESPN2. That the Lady Tigers find themselves in this position is a testament to the program's staying power and perseverance exhibited by this year's team.

"It's such a pleasure to be here today and be in the second round with a team that has accomplished so much," Chancellor said. "There are special teams. Last year's team was special because of how far it advanced and this is a special team because of how much it's done with its experience level and how much they've accomplished this season."

Chancellor, 50-16 in his second season, has managed to point LSU toward a potential regional date Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. with a total makeover of the program that included the arrival of seven newcomers, including six freshmen.

What ensued was a predictable roller-coaster ride with a starting unit that changed 11 times before eventually settling on the four fresh faces of senior Kristen Morris, freshman LaSondra Barrett, sophomores Katherine Graham and Latear Eason along with junior Allison Hightower ? the veteran of the group with two career starts to her credit.

LSU closed the regular season with five straight wins, including the team's first wins over ranked opponents in Florida and Tennessee, and finished the SEC in a tie for second with Vanderbilt. The Lady Tigers have gone on to win seven of their last eight games ? a span that includes Sunday's 69-59 win over No. 11 Green Bay in the opening round to the NCAA Tournament.

"When I think about it, we have never had but one player that's ever played in this situation," Chancellor said. "We went to (top-ranked) Connecticut in front of 14,000 on national TV and we were down only eight points late in the game. It's been a dream that I never thought was going to happen. I'm enjoying the experience of this team."

The only thing tempering Chancellor's emotions was the prospect of having to face Louisville, a team he believed good enough to warrant a No. 2 seed.

The Cardinals, which reached their first Sweet 16 a year ago in New Orleans, have established a school-record for wins and finished second to UConn in both the Big East regular season and postseason tournament.

Louisville features returning first team All-American Angel McCoughtry and a stifling, pressure defense that forces 22 turnovers per game. McCoughtry, a 6-foot-1 senior forward, averages 23.5 points and 9.3 rebounds and is also the nation's leader in steals per game 4.4. Fellow senior Candyce Bingham averages 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds.

"First off, I think we'll have to play team defense," Morris said of McCoughtry. "I don't think any one player can stop her (McCoughtry) obviously, but that's what we do here at LSU. We play team defense."

Louisville breezed into second-round action with a 62-42 win over No. 14 Liberty. The Cardinals scored 29 points off 27 turnovers and McCoughtry and Bingham both scored 12 points.

"Their other parts are really good; I knew they were good," Chancellor said. "They're as dangerous as I thought they were, and all of their other players are, as well. They run the floor well, defend well and play hard."

LSU will need another similar type performance from Hightower, who poured in a career-high in her team's 10-point first-round win. The only problem was that Hightower was unable to finish the last four minutes of the game because of leg cramps.

Hightower is the team's top scorer with a 14.7 average followed by Barrett at 11.6 for LSU which last upset a higher ranked team on its home floor ? Notre Dame ? 10 years ago in the NCAA Tournament.

"I think that in the beginning of the first half we had a little bit of jitters, which is expected for our first NCAA appearance as a new team," Hightower said, "but I don't think it will really affect us if we just come out, execute, play as hard as we can, just listen to the coaches and what they have to tell us, and prepare and execute to the best of our abilities. I think we'll be fine."

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