The LSU women’s basketball team will open more than just its new season Nov. 14.
The game marks the beginning of the Nikki Caldwell era at LSU.
Caldwell inherits an LSU squad that finished with a 19-13 overall record and an 8-8 conference mark last season, and was left out of the NCAA tournament since 1998.
Despite the disappointing finish, Caldwell — who spent the past three seasons at UCLA racking up a 72-26 record — said this Lady Tiger team has the potential to be one of the nation’s elite programs.
Caldwell, who won a national championship as both a player and an assistant coach at Tennessee, said she sees comparisons between the Lady Tigers and her former Bruins.
“I’m looking at them, having come from a program where, at one point, was ranked top-10 in the country, and there is no reason why we couldn’t be that this year and even better,” Caldwell said.
The Tigers open the 2011 campaign with an exhibition game against Xavier before heading to Wichita State for the season opener.
“We’re playing some good opponents and some of the major programs in the country,” said Caldwell, who was named Pacific-10 Coach of the Year in 2010 after a 25-9 season. “I want them to be able to prepare themselves for March Madness, and you do that through the strength of your schedule.”
The Tigers will face powerhouses like Georgetown, Ohio State and Caldwell’s former squad — UCLA — before entering Southeastern Conference play.
LSU hosts the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this season in the PMAC.
“No one is going to do us any favors,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got a very tough non-conference schedule that I feel, if we take care of business, will definitely put us in the position to be ready to compete in the SEC, but most importantly, allow the committee to see what this year’s LSU team is about.”
Caldwell isn’t the only new face in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers also welcome three freshmen to the squad, headlined by five-star forward Krystal Forthan, who was rated as the No. 5 overall prospect by ESPN’s HoopGurlz.
Forthan will make the transition by joining a team with seven upperclassmen, including five seniors.
One of those is senior forward LaSondra Barrett.
Barrett returns for her final campaign after three All-SEC seasons, but said this season has a different feel to it.
“It’s a new excitement. It’s a new energy that we’re not used to,” said Barrett, who started 31 of 32 games last season, averaging 12.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.
“I think our team is taking the effort and going watching film, asking questions, doing things above and beyond to try to fit into what they’re saying and buy in.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]