LSU was moved up to a projected No. 3 seed in the ESPN 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracketology, made by analyst Charlie Creme.
The Tigers were moved down to a No. 4 seed after suffering losses to Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State during Southeastern Conference play. But Kim Mulkey and her team have won their last six games, allowing them to get the bump up in seed.
LSU was also ranked No. 9 in the Week 17 AP Top 25, the first time it has made the list since Week 13 at the end of January.
It’s been a smooth month of February for Mulkey and her Tigers, but it took longer than one might expect for the team to get back into the category where they know they belong.
That being said, here’s a look at where LSU stands in the latest update of the Bracketology and the familiar faces that are around them.
LSU is projected to host the first two rounds
In Mulkey’s first two seasons as head coach, LSU hosted its first two games in March Madness. It’s expected that they will host for Mulkey’s third season, too.
The Tigers are projected to face Chattanooga in the first round. The Mocs are currently 11-1 in the SEC and are projected to win the conference, giving them an automatic bid into the tournament.
In the second round, it’s predicted that the Tigers will face the winner of No. 6 seed North Carolina and No. 11 seed Iowa State.
North Carolina has had a roller coaster of a season. The Tar Heels were ranked inside the top 25 in Week 13, but they lost four straight to knock them out of the rankings. However, they won three of their last four games, including a win over No. 6 North Carolina State, a team they lost to in their four-game rut.
Iowa State has also been relatively unpredictable. The Cyclones have ranked wins over an at the time, No. 7 Kansas State on Feb. 14, and over ranked West Virginia and Baylor teams earlier in conference play.
This would be a tough draw for LSU. Opening the tournament with a one-loss conference champion may put the Tigers on a bit of an upset watch. In the second round, they may be met with a team that is more unpredictable.
LSU is projected to be in the Portland 4 quadrant
If the Tigers were to make it out of the first two rounds, they’d make the trip to Portland, Oregon, for the Sweet 16. And the draw remains tough.
In the Sweet 16, they’d face the winner of the first two rounds hosted by USC, who’s projected as the No. 2 seed. In the latest AP Top 25, USC is ranked No. 7, led by star true-freshman guard Juju Watkins.
The Trojans were on a seven-game win-streak, including wins over ranked teams in Stanford, Oregon State and Colorado, before losing to No. 18-ranked Utah on Sunday.
The Pac 12 is arguably the most competitive conference in women’s college basketball, with six teams ranked in the top 25. Having to face any team qualified to make the NCAA Tournament from that conference would give the Tigers a challenge.
Ole Miss is also projected to travel to USC to play its first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. LSU defeated Ole Miss 84-73 at the start of SEC play, but the Rebels have since picked up wins over Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State; LSU has lost to two of those three teams.
The Rebels may provide a sneaky attack in the NCAA Tournament if LSU was to see them in Portland.
In the rest of the quadrant, Texas is projected as the No. 1 seed, and it’s currently ranked as the No. 3 team in the AP Top 25. With USC being the No. 2 seed, and LSU the No. 3 seed, Colorado is projected to be the No. 4 seed.
The Buffaloes upset the Tigers in the season opener by 14 points. Since then, however, Colorado was met with the brutality the Pac 12 brings. Most recently, it’s lost its last four games, all to ranked teams.
Being that LSU had a difficult time with Colorado in its last meeting, it may be deceiving looking at Colorado’s schedule. The Buffaloes have presented themselves as a talented team at several points throughout the season with ranked wins over Stanford and USC, but the conference they play in provides so many obstacles.
Notre Dame is projected to be the No. 5 seed. The Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25, and are led by freshman guard, Hannah Hidalgo. The No. 8 seed is Alabama, who LSU defeated twice this season, both by double-digit points.
Who are the other SEC teams projected to make the tournament?
South Carolina is currently the No. 1 overall seed and projected to win the SEC Tournament, giving it an automatic bid.
The Gamecocks have not lost a game as of yet, making them the only undefeated team in the AP Top 25. They’ll definitely be in the NCAA Tournament and will most likely be a No. 1 seed when Selection Sunday comes.
Tennessee, which LSU most recently defeated 75-60, is projected to be a No. 9 seed. The Lady Vols are predicted to play their first two rounds at Ohio State, who is projected to be a No. 1 seed.
Mississippi State is also predicted to be a No. 9 seed and is projected to play its first two rounds at Stanford, another projected No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs beat LSU by four points at the end of January.
Texas A&M and Auburn are two of the “Last Four In” teams and will play a First-Four game as an 11-seed. A win in a first-four game gives a team a spot in the First Round field of 64 teams.
