The No. 1-seeded LSU Lady Tigers basketball team will begin the NCAA Tournament Saturday in the West Region at Eugene, Ore., on a quest to get to the school’s first Final Four and win an NCAA Championship.
First on the Tigers’ itinerary is the No. 16 seeded Southwest Texas State, a game that can be seen at 10:36 p.m. local time on ESPN2.
Earlier this season LSU beat the Bobcats by the score of 91-40 at the PMAC in December.
Forward Ke-Ke Tardy said the Tigers must disregard the final score of the earlier meeting. She said the two teams are better at this point.
“I think we have been focused the whole season,” Tardy said. “Even though a National Championship is in the back of our minds, the task at hand each game is on the forefront of our minds. It’s tournament time, upsets are known to happen.”
It will be the first time the Lady Tigers will play since their double-digit win over Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Championship game. Point guard Temeka Johnson, the MVP of that tournament, said LSU will be ready for its opponent and not overlook them.
“Every team in the NCAA Tournament is a team that’s coming to play,” Johnson said. “They’re going to come, giving 110 percent. Everybody is going to bring their ‘A’ game. It’s not hard on me to focus on Southwest Texas at all. They are just like a No. 1 seed in my mind.”
Gunter said there is not a chance that LSU will overlook the Bobcats.
“That’s a whole different team,” she said of Southwest Texas. “They’re a better team than what we played the first time. There won’t be any sweeping of them under the rug. Everything is one and done now.”
If LSU is able to get by Southwest Texas, the Lady Tigers will face the winner of the game that pits No. 8 seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay versus No. 9 seeded Washington on Monday.
Earlier this week NCAA president Myles Brand said some thought was being given to postponing both the men’s and women’s tournament games due to the pending war in Iraq.
Brand said Tuesday afternoon everything would be played on as scheduled.
“From everything we know right now, it’s in the best interests of the country to go forward,” Brand said.
The security surrounding the NCAA events will be heightened, Brand said. Many think their personal safety will not be a concern.
“You just try to go about your daily lives,” Tardy said. “I feel that if you change your pattern, they won half the battle. They usually target major cities, and we’re going to be chartering a flight. Those things are a distraction if you’re an American.”
Gunter said she does not fear for her team’s safety.
“Unfortunately, this is a time of very unsettled things,” Gunter said. “It’s something we think we have to deal with. I don’t fear for us. It’s a scary time for everybody.”
Despite finishing second in the nation’s toughest conference statistically, having a tough non-conference schedule and garnering a top seed, the team does not feel respected.
“I really feel that people will be surprised if we get to the Final Four,” Tardy said. “I feel like there are so many doubters out there. We just need to play our game so we can wear our dress and high heels to the dance.”