For LSU coach D-D Breaux, the LSU-Alabama rivalry certainly translates to gymnastics.
Like the football matchup, the fourth-ranked Tigers and the No. 3 Crimson Tide will square off in a heavyweight brawl at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the PMAC.
“The LSU-Alabama rivalry carries over to everything,” Breaux said.
Both teams are coming off their best performances of the season last weekend.
Alabama tallied a season-high 197.550 against Georgia on Feb. 26, and LSU posted a 197.900 on the road against No. 2 Florida on the same day.
With the two primed squads going head-to-head tonight and being Senior Night in the PMAC, Breaux expects a record capacity of fans for the duel.
“It’s going to be a great Alabama team against a great LSU team,” Breaux said. “It’s Senior Night. I have to believe that our crowd is going to be on fire. Our event starts at 7:15, and it’s high action for an hour and 45 minutes. I have to believe that this team will be ready for anything that Alabama can throw at us.”
LSU’s three seniors, Randii Wyrick, Michelle Gauthier and Jessica Savona, will soak in all the festivities, unlike they have on previous Senior Nights, Wyrick joked.
“It’s weird knowing it’s my Senior Night,” Wyrick said. “Normally, it was like ‘Oh we’re sending away some seniors, but this one is mine. It’s definitely a crazy feeling knowing this is my last home meet in my collegiate career. It’s kind of scary, but I’m really excited.”
Gauthier and Wyrick both said they would be nervous heading into their final meet in Baton Rouge.
But, it will be a different, less-intense compilation of nerves tonight, they said.
“This is totally different,” Gauthier said.
Wyrick agreed her last meet triggers far different emotions than her first competition.
“I remember going in there and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so much bigger than I anticipated,’” Wyrick said. “Going in there, just with all the fans, it was definitely just surreal. Then I was like, ‘Oh dang, now I’m in college, and now I’m leaving college.’”
Wyrick, Gauthier and Savona played their part in LSU’s rotating, competitive lineup alterations this season. Breaux said she enjoyed the adaptability of her gymnasts last week, some of whom were implemented in the competition at the last season.
Breaux expects Friday’s meet to feature similar lineups on all four events, barring any sudden injury scratches.
On Monday, Breaux said she hasn’t forecasted how far her Tigers go during the postseason this year. LSU has proven it can be a force against some of the nation’s top teams — one of which, it will compete against tonight.
“I don’t have any expectations,” Breaux said. “I want this team to take it one step at a time. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in this team, and how they train. Every commitment that they make, they live up to it. It’s been the most pleasure being with this team, traveling with this team and coaching this team than any other one that I’ve ever been around.”
You reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR