The LSU women’s basketball team is on the bubble in more ways than one, and the home stretch is in sight. The Lady Tigers (15-11, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) will look to finish the season strong as they approach their final two regular season games at Ole Miss and against No. 12 Texas A&M at the PMAC.
LSU will attempt to rebound from a disappointing loss in Arkansas on Sunday and finish the year with at least 10 wins in the conference with the second highest combined Rating Percentage Index in the NCAA.
LSU is currently ranked fifth in the SEC standings and has secured a bye for the first round if the season ends today. It currently leads No. 13 Kentucky by one game in the standings.
LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said her team is aware of what is on the line as its prepare for the final stretch of its schedule. Though, the road to get there has been full of land mines.
“We know what is at stake,” Caldwell said. “We know that the seeding in the SEC Tournament is at stake for us. Our body of work in the SEC, when you are already at nine wins, that is something that we are very proud of because this is such a competitive conference. Year in and year out, this conference should get eight teams in the NCAA Tournament.”
If the Lady Tigers can finish the season by defeating one of their next two opponents, they will likely remain the fifth seed, with Kentucky playing No. 2 South Carolina to end the year.
Because they play No. 12 Texas A&M, one game ahead of LSU and tied for third with No. 11 Mississippi State, a win against them at the PMAC to end the year could allow the Lady Tigers to crack the top-four and get a double bye for the SEC Tournament.
Senior guard DaShawn Harden said her team must capitalize on its opportunities by taking control of its own destiny and not allowing opponents to dictate what happens to them.
“Coach [Caldwell] talks about how you don’t want to be that team’s stepping stone to get to where they want to get. So you make that team your stepping stone to get where you want,” Harden said. “We’ve talked about [the seeding], but we try not to talk about it. Of course you want to be in the top-3 teams. But we’ve just got to beat Ole Miss, and we’ve got to beat Texas A&M. And that’s pretty much all we’re talking about.”
Getting into the NCAA Tournament could be possible for the Lady Tigers. According to ESPN analyst Charlie Creme’s Bracketology, LSU is considered an 11th seed in the Spokane region and one of the “Last Four In” that are on the bubble.
After Caldwell called out her bench following the Lady Tigers’ blowout loss to then-No. 1 South Carolina, the reserves have stepped up, despite a recent loss to Arkansas. They scored four points in the South Carolina game but have combined to score 37 in their last two contests.
LSU will need a complete team effort to reach the NCAA Tournament, and senior forward Sheila Boykin said the bench is imperative for LSU’s success heading into the last portion of the season.
“I think it’s just common for people in general in every sport that if they’re not starting they feel like they’re not important,” Boykin said. “But at the end of the day, who’s going to hold it down if a starter goes down or is not on their A-game? Who’s going to come in and either elevate or maintain what’s going on in the game? When I wasn’t starting I always had this mentality that I’m going to go in this game and do everything that I can to maintain or elevate the team.”
You can reach Stanton Vignes on Twitter @stanvignes_TDR.