As the 2022-23 season winds down, I asked students what moments from this year of LSU sports brought out their purple and gold pride. The first went down right here at the PMAC, when the Bayou Barbie proved she doesn’t need both shoes to block a shot.
Angel Reese racked up many accolades this season, but she may be more well known for bringing her personality to the court. In one LSU and Arkansas showdown, Reese’s shoe came off mid-game. Despite this, she struck down an attempted layup, shoe in hand, while fans cheered her on.
“But she just came up, swatted it, and I looked at her foot and I’m like ‘where is her shoe at?’” LSU student Tre Merrit said. “And then I noticed she picked her shoe up, I think, and she just ran off like nothing happened. It was just cool– a cool moment.”
Fans get excited after every Tiger win, but in the SEC, rivalries run deep. So for many, one victory for the LSU Football team was a little sweeter.
In overtime of the battle for the SEC West title, Alabama scored the first touchdown, but the Tigers soon matched it. Brian Kelly decided to go for two, which resulted in a completed pass to Mason Taylor for the win and a full field of LSU fans.
“And so I could barely see the catch, but I was just there enough to see that it was in,” LSU student Morgan alan’s said. “Then everyone was like, ‘oh my gosh! We just beat ‘Bama!’ It was really exciting because then we got to rush the field.”
The final moment is no surprise– a National Championship win for the Lady Tigers that LSU fans won’t soon forget.
With 102 points, LSU broke the record for the most points scored by a single team in a NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. In earning the first national title in program history, they also had everyone in Baton Rouge buzzing about women’s college hoops.
“They just took over like no one else’s business,” LSU student Sean Robinson said. “Ever since then, ever since that half— me and my friend were just excited that we were gonna win. We kind of knew we were going to win, just based off the amount of dominant force that we had afterwards. It was a wonderful series.”
