FINAL (5) LSU 80 vs (4) Penn State 90

The parallel lives of Penn State coach Coquese Washington and LSU coach Nikki Caldwell are about to cross paths again, with a guarantee that one of them will reach uncharted territory in their up-and-coming coaching careers.

Washington, in her fifth season as a head coach, and Caldwell, in her fourth, are no strangers to the second round of the NCAA tournament, in which they'll meet Tuesday night when the fourth-seeded Lady Lions (25-6) play the No. 5 seed Lady Tigers (23-10).

Neither has coached a third-round game yet, though it would seem that both will have plenty more chances to take their teams on deep runs in March.

"It's like our generation that's coming into play as far as coaches, and it's exciting to be able to go against people that you played against," said Caldwell, a former player at Tennessee.

Penn State advanced to the second round of last year's tournament, while Caldwell coached UCLA to the second round the past two seasons before being hired away by LSU.

It's clear that Caldwell, 39, and Washington, 41, have gained rapid respect from some of more tenured coaches in women's basketball. San Diego State coach Beth Burns called them "the future of our game," before her Aztecs fell to LSU in the tournament's opening round.

Caldwell and Washington met three times as players from 1991-93, with the Lady Vols beating Washington's Notre Dame squad each time.

Both coaches described each other as fierce competitors, but also as friends. When they had a chance to chat after Penn State had arrived in Baton Rouge last weekend, they spent more time comparing their experiences as mothers than as coaches.

Washington has two children, a 6-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl, and her second pregnancy overlapped one of her first few seasons as a head coach. Caldwell was pregnant through most of this season, her first at LSU. She never missed a game and gave birth to a girl about two weeks ago, in between the end of the Southeastern Conference tournament and beginning for the NCAA tournament.

That game will match teams of vastly different styles. Penn State's has been driven by guard play. Shooting guard Maggie Lucas (19.3 points per game), point guard Alex Bentley (14.4 ppg)and guard Zhaque Gray (10.7 ppg) are the Lady Lions' top three scorers.

Penn State loves to run and score in transition.

LSU has been led all season by gritty 6-foot-2 power forward LaSondra Barrett, the Lady Tigers' leading scorer (12.7 ppg) and rebounder (7 rpg).

Barrett said LSU would have a plan to slow the game down through defense and rebounding, but also noted that strategy may not be the deciding factor.

While Baton Rouge is technically a neutral site, the game will be played on LSU's home court, which means it will be a virtual road game for higher-seeded Penn State - not that the Lady Lions mind.

Washington added that she had spoken with her team since last fall about the possibility of playing tournament games on an opponent's home court.