Congrats to the LSU Tigers women's basketball team for winning the SEC regular season crown. But, they lost to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and AGAIN in the NCAA Women's Basketball "Final Four." It was the fifth straight loss by LSU Women's B-ball in the NCAA tournament semi-finals. That's amazing and tough to swallow.
Sylvia Fowles played well against the Vols. She pretty much carried the team. Problem was her foul shooting (4 of 11) and the foul shooting of the team (7 of 19). LSU only lost the game by one point (47-46) on a last second shot by Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle. Obviously, if the Lady Tigers had taken care of business at the FT line, they would have won the game and would be in the NC game.
As frustrated as the LSU and it's fans must be, we don't want to dwell on the negative. The Lady Tigers had another great year. Winning the SEC women's basketball regular season championship and a fifth straight Final 4 appearance is something to be very proud of. So, let's dwell on that and plan for next year.
Prior Discussion:
We think Tennessee and LSU will meet up again in the "Final Four." So, lots of exciting basketball to go.
LSU starts off their run in March Madness with a game against Jackson State on Saturday night, March 22d. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN 2. If you are looking for tickets to that game or another, you can find them at 2008 March Madness Tickets.
Prior Discussion:
LSU womens basketball has enjoyed success over the years since their start in 1975. But, recently, their success has really exploded.
In fact, last year, the Lady Tigers made it to the Final Four of March Madness and they have a good chance to make it there again. In fact, they will challenge Tennessee in the SEC.
LSU has two big SEC titles and is hoping to add more to that list. They have been to the Final Four the last four years and are hoping to make a fifth appearance this year. The ladies of LSU will welcome a new head coach this year in Van Chancellor who will start his first season with LSU after being hired late last spring. Chancellor comes to the Tigers with an impressive resume that includes leading the US to gold in the 2004 Olympics, gaining four WNBA titles with the Houston Comets, and making 14 NCAA Tournament appearances while coaching Ole Miss.
LSU women's basketball team
Thanks to _cheryl at flickr.com for the photo.
The Lady Tigers had an impressive 2006-2007 season with a 32-8 record, ranking first in the SEC-West and fourth in the SEC overall. They made it to the finals of the SEC tournament where they lost to no. 13 Vanderbilt 51-45. The team also went far in the NCAA tournament making it to the semifinals before losing to no. 19 Rutgers 59-35.
They also had the accomplishment of being ranked tenth in the USA Today/ESPN coaches Top 25 women’s college basketball poll.
After losing one of their best players in Seimone Augustus, the Lady Tigers will have to work hard to come out on top. Luckily the ladies of LSU have some talented players on call to get some W’s for the Tigers. Sylvia Fowles, who was third in rebounds and twelfth in filed goal percentage in the NCAA polls last year, will return for her Senior year as center.
LSU Lady Tigers basketball player Erica White.
Thanks to _cheryl at flickr.com for the photo .
The 6'6" Fowles is only 17 points away from joining the prestigious 1,000 career point club at LSU, and should have no problem making that record this season. Erica White, who was in the 2006 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship, will return for her Senior year as guard and should be a big playmaker for her team this season.
The Lady Tigers had some turmoil in the offseason that resulted in the resignation of their former coach, Pokey Chatman. The allegations involved stories about an inappropriate relationship with a former player. But, her resignation happened before the NCAA tournament last year and obviously LSU did fine. Plus, new coach, Van Chancellor, is a hall of fame coach. So, this won't be a negative issue for LSU.
The Lady Tigers seem to have a pretty strong team going into this coming season, and should have no problem getting wins on their score sheet. Their defense is top notch but they will need to focus on their offense if they want to make it far in post season play and big tournaments. Their biggest competition will likely be in SEC neighbor Tennessee, and the ladies will need to bring their A game if they want to defeat the reigning SEC champs.
The ladies of LSU have been keeping busy in the off-season, practicing and honing their skills for the upcoming season. The team was first in scoring defense, according to the NCAA ranking. The Lady Tigers were also named fourth in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll and twelfth on the AP National Poll. Fowles also gained recognition for her hard playing after she was named to the John R. Wooden Preseason Top 30 poll for the best players in college women’s basketball.
Former Lady Tiger Seimone Augustus, who was the CBSSportsline.com Player of the Year in 2006, on Street and Smith’s "Terrific Ten", and on John R. Wooden's Preseason Top 30, has joined Team USA for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. LSU will kick off their 2007-2008 season on November 9 when they play Samford at home.
LSU Tigers Womens Basketball 2007-2008 Schedule
Oct 31 Lakes Truck (Exh.) 7:00 p.m. Home
Nov 05 Houston Jaguars (Exh.)7:00 p.m. Home
Nov 09 Samford 7:00 p.m. Home
Nov 11 - Nov 13 Quarterfinal (if nec.)TBDTBA Home
Nov 14 - Nov 15 Semifinal (if nec.)TBDTBA Home
Nov 16 Consolation Round 1 (if nec.) TBD TBA Home
Nov 17 Consolation Round 2 (if nec.) TBD TBA Home
Nov 18 Championship Game TBD TBA Home
Nov 21 UL-Lafayette 7:00 p.m. Home
Nov 25 Rutgers 1:30 p.m. Away
Nov 29 Houston 7:00 p.m. Away
Dec 02 Tulane 4:00 p.m. Away
Dec 16 Louisiana Tech 2:00 p.m. Away
Dec 18 Illinois-Chicago TBA Away
Dec 19 Miami (Fla.) TBA Away
Dec 28 Middle Tennessee 7:00 p.m. Away
Dec 30 New Orleans 2:00 p.m. Home
Jan 03 Florida St. 6:00 p.m. Away
Jan 10 Arkansas 7:00 p.m. Away
Jan 13 Vanderbilt 4:00 p.m. Home
Jan 20 Mississippi St. 2:00 p.m. Home
Jan 24 Auburn 6:00 p.m. Away
Jan 27 Kentucky 1:30 p.m. Away
Jan 31 South Carolina 7:00 p.m. Home
Feb 03 Florida 11:00 a.m. Away
Feb 07 Alabama 6:00 p.m. Away
Feb 10 Georgia 1:00 p.m. Home
Feb 14 Tennessee 6:00 p.m. Away
Feb 17 Ole Miss 2:00 p.m. Home
Feb 21 Kentucky * 7:00 p.m. Home
Feb 25 Connecticut 6:00 p.m. Home
Feb 28 Arkansas 7:00 p.m. Home
Mar 02 Mississippi St. 2:30 p.m. Away
LSU Tigers Womens Basketball 2007-2008 Roster
1 Katherine Graham G 5'11" Freshman Birmingham, Alabama
3 Latear Eason G 5'8" Freshman Chicago, Illinois
4 Katie Antony G 5'10" Senior Anacoco, Louisiana
5 Erica White G 5'3" Senior Jacksonville, Florida
10 Khalilah Mitchell G 5'11" Senior New Orleans, Louisiana
12 RaShonta LeBlanc G 5'7" Senior Port Arthur, Texas
15 Quianna Chaney G 5'11" Senior Baton Rouge, Louisiana
23 Allison Hightower G 5'10" Sophomore Arlington, Texas
24 Marian Whitfield G 5'9" Senior Augusta, Georgia
25 Mesha Williams C 6'3" Senior St. Louis, Missouri
34 Sylvia Fowles C 6'6" Senior Miami, Florida
44 Kristen Morris G 6'2" Junior Lathrup Village, Michigan
54 Ashley Thomas F 6'0" Senior Stone Mountain, Georgia
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