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The Lady Tigers have had nearly two weeks to think about their last appearance on the hardwood – a tough 61-55 loss to Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game.
The No. 2-seed Lady Tigers (27-5) return to the court 9:30 p.m. Saturday when they open NCAA Tournament play in the PMAC against No. 15 seed Jackson State (18-13).
LSU coach Van Chancellor and seniors Sylvia Fowles, Quianna Chaney, and Erica White addressed the media Friday in a relaxed, often-lighthearted press conference.
Chancellor joked about the 9:30 p.m. start time, saying he would prefer to play at 11 a.m.
“When I was 44-years-old, 9:30 at night was late,” he said. “At 64, it’s really late.”
Chancellor dismissed the notion that LSU might overlook the Jackson State Tigers, who won the SWAC Tournament Championship to receive an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
“The last problem of our women’s basketball team is to overlook somebody,” he said. “This is the most serious-minded team I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna play Saturday night. They have the greatest mindset of any team I’ve ever been around.”
If the Lady Tigers win Saturday, they will play either No. 7 seed Marist or No. 10 seed Depaul on Monday night.
Fowles said she is happy LSU is serving as an NCAA Tournament host site for the first and second rounds.
“Our last time playing here … it’s going to be a thrill,” she said.
LSU practiced at 5 p.m. Friday for about 45 minutes. The Lady Tigers will have a 20-minute shoot-a-round Saturday morning.
Freshman guard Latear Eason sat out from practice because of a torn ACL on her right knee. She will miss the remainder of the season. Eason averaged 5.2 minutes in the 20 games she played this season.
For coverage of the tournament Saturday, check out The Daily Reveille’s blog. Chief Sports Writer Amy Brittain will write updates during all of the games.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected].