LSU Tigers
— Record: 32-2
— Seed: No. 3 (Greenville 2)
— Road to the Final Four: Defeated Hawaii 73-50, defeated Michigan 66-42, defeated Utah 66-63, defeated Miami (Fla.) 54-42.
— Coach: Kim Mulkey (57-8, second season at LSU; 690-112, 23rd season overall). Mulkey’s decision to leave Baylor after 21 seasons and three national championships to return to her home state raised eyebrows. In her second season, she’s resurrected the once-proud Tigers program. Still competitive and driven, Mulkey makes no apologies for her approach. “I want things done yesterday,” Mulkey said. “If what you did today still looks big to you today, then you haven’t done much. I want things quick.”
— About LSU: Don’t judge LSU by the plodding 54-42 win over Miami in the Elite Eight. The Tigers are aggressive and athletic and like to push the ball, especially after opponents’ turnovers and shoot 47% from the field while holding opponents to 35% shooting, a hallmark of some of Mulkey’s best teams at Baylor. The Tigers also outrebound opponents by about eight per game. While the focal point of the offense is 6-3 double-double machine Angel Reese, much will depend on the backcourt. Well-traveled senior Alexis Morris (14.9 ppg) and freshman Flau’jae Johnson (11.1 ppg) have been hot-and-cold during the tournament. The 3-pointer is not a huge part of LSU’s game. The Tigers average about five per game. Ladazhia Williams, a 6-4 senior, combines with Reese to form a formidable frontcourt. LSU was criticized for a less-than-strenuous non-conference schedule but has proven that it’s a team to be reckoned with, one that is ahead of schedule under Mulkey. The Tigers’ two losses have come to Tennessee by two in the SEC tournament and by 24 to South Carolina during the regular season.
— Player to watch: Reese, a 6-3 transfer from Maryland, has turned into one of the nation’s most dominant players, averaging 23.2 points and 15.7 rebounds. Her 32nd double-double against Miami set an SEC single-season history. While she’s a force near the basket, she’s versatile enough to lead a fast break as she showed against Miami. As promising as she was at Maryland, Reese has blossomed at LSU. “A fresh start, that’s what I came to LSU for. I just wanted a fresh start,” Reese said. “I came from Maryland and I succeeded at Maryland, but I wanted more. And more was to get better every single day and then cut down nets one day.”
— Tournament history: This is LSU’s first Final Four appearance in 15 seasons. The Tigers were a powerhouse from 2004-2008, going to five consecutive Final Fours under three different coaches — Sue Gunter, Pokey Chatman and Van Chancellor. But LSU never reached the championship game. Until this season, the Tigers hadn’t been beyond the first weekend of the tournament since 2014.
— Did you know: Mulkey’s three coaching national titles at Baylor (2005, 2012, 2019) ties her for third on the all-time NCAA list with Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer. Only Geno Auriemma (11) of UConn and Pat Summitt (eight) of Tennessee have won more.
— Notable alumni: Political consultant James Carville, soprano Lisette Oropesa, Rocky theme composer Bill Conti, NASA engineer Renee Horton and, oh, Shaq.
