NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Washington Lady Huskies have found themselves in unfamiliar territory after their opening-round victory against No. 8 seed Minnesota.
But it is not because the team is 2,430 miles away from its campus in Seattle.
The Lady Huskies have not made it to the field of 32 since 2001, when they eventually advanced to the Elite Eight.
Coming into the second-round game Monday against No. 1 seed LSU, junior guard Cameo Hicks said she could not compare LSU to any team UW has played this season.
“I honestly can’t say that there would be a team in the Pac-10 similar to this team,” Hicks said.
Sophomore guard Dominique Banks said her main defensive assignment will be to guard LSU senior guard Seimone Augustus.
“She’s as good as anybody else,” Banks said. “I’m not going to worry that she’s Seimone Augustus, but on her jersey it’s just number 33.”
Washington coach June Daugherty said other players will guard Augustus, but she wants to see Banks’ speed and athleticism counter Augustus’ size.
Next, sophomore forward Andrea Plouffe, who is 6 feet, 2 inches, said the team wants to get sophomore center Sylvia Fowles into early foul trouble.
“We know that Fowles is prone to foul trouble, so we’re going to have our help side come and take the ball strong to her and see what happens,” Plouffe said.
But talk is cheap for Washington, who came into the tournament ranked 242nd in the nation in scoring defense by allowing about 67 points per contest.
“I think some of those points, which could help us, come from those long rebounds,” LSU coach Pokey Chatman said. “If we can secure them, we can get out in transition.”
Offensively, the Lady Huskies are led by Hicks who leads the team in points, 14.9, and rebounds, 5.5, per game.
Daugherty said she realizes many of her team’s scoring opportunities come from making a living on the offensive boards.
The Lady Huskies finished second in the Pac-10 in offense rebounding, pulling down about 18 offensive boards each game.
“We have to play [our system] better than we have ever done,” Daugherty said. “We have to come out with that mindset – that we are going to gobble glass. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get an [offensive] board.”
Getting extra looks from offensive rebounds is important for Washington since the team averages just 39 percent from the floor, ranking 212th in the country.
Chatman said Washington’s offensive rebounding is just the team’s third strongest asset.
“I think the first one is the fact that when they transition down, they’re so spread,” Chatman said. “It’s more difficult to block people out when they’re 19 feet from the basket or when it’s a 3-point shot.”
Chatman ranked the Lady Huskies’ second best attribute as their ability to play off the dribble and effectively involve other capable shooters on the team.
The game will be televised to a national audience tonight on ESPN2 at approximately 8:30 p.m.
 
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