LSU Lady Tigers vs Louisville Sweet Sixteen Today

11 point underdogs, I said all year this team could make run with the 3 senior starters and youth mix...but it ends today I'm afraid. Eases the pain of poor SEC finish by getting this far though. I'm rooting for them but we are outclassed today

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good luck to the girls today

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Amen.

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Since I'll be in the Yum Center today taking the Louisville regional, I figured I'd post this preview before I hit Interstate 64. Here's the previews from the Advocate...........

LSU Against the Odds Facing Louisville

November Matchup is Ancient History for LSU, Louisville

Large Crowd Expected Sunday

So, here's my take. It's definitely going to be a tough, but not impossible, task to take down Louisville at home................especially missing two of our top four scorers (Kenney, Moncrief). What do we have to do...................? In my opinion, this...........

- Play zone on defense. Last time we played them, we had success in the zone defense until they started hitting jumpers. Then they drew us out of it, and their post players killed our post players because of their speed and quickness. None of our post players are very fleet of foot. So, against a team like Louisville we have to stay in a zone

- Pound the ball inside and take advantage of the size difference in the post. Last time we played them, the game was tight most of the way because they couldn't handle our post, primarily Plaisance. We need a repeat of that for 40 minutes instead of 30 minutes like last time.

- Danielle Ballard, primarily, and the other guards need to be aggressive to the basket. Last time we played Ballard was still dealing with her personal problems. So, I expect she'll play much better this time around. From the other guards (Harden, Rhodes, Hill) we need smart shots and a "no fear" attitude.

With all that being said, clearly the odds are against the Lady Tigers. But......................................................I'm gonna have fun in the Yum Center nonetheless today! Take care yall! :)

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Just got back from the Yum! Center after watching both sweet sixteen games. Let me just say, this was my second time in that facility and it's one of the best college basketball venues I've EVER been too. Awesome place.

So, I guess the game pretty much went the opposite of what I'd hoped for in my quote above. LOL!

But no worries. It turned out to be a good season. The team started off hot at 17-4, then went on a six game losing streak, but then was able to salvage the season by making it to the sweet sixteen. Kudos to Nikki and her staff because, this team could've packed it in after they lost those games to Arkansas and Alabama at the end of the SEC season. I wish they'd have played to their potential but, I'm also proud to see them fight their way out of that funk..........and I'm glad to see the program is in a better position than it was the last three seasons under Van. I feel a lot better about the direction of the program than I did during that time...................as do many in the booster club.

Now its time for Nikki to take the program to the next level. That is the challenge moving forward, and that all begins with recruiting. We've recruited well at the guard position but, as of right now we're looking thin in the post for next season. I know that the staff is waiting for Kalani Brown to hopefully join the team in 2015 but, we still need a few more ATHLETIC posts in the meantime. With Ballard, Moncrief, and Harden we'll have one of the best guard lineups in the SEC. But the needs in the post need to be addressed immediately. I'm curious to see what we're gonna get for next year. Personally, I think we should go after at least one JC All American post to slide in there for next season. We'll see what happens. Until then....................................................