No. 2 LSU gymnastics will begin its journey to Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, when it hosts one of the four regional rounds of the NCAA Championships.
Though statistically having an edge over their second-round opponents, the Tigers will still have to fight to move on and compete in the regional final.
“We know what they’re capable of, and I’m just excited for them,” assistant coach Haleigh Bryant said. “They have a lot of fight and a lot of grit, and they’re not going to give up. They’re just going to keep fighting all the way through. I wanna see that all come together in one night.”
Taking to the arena in Session II of Thursday’s second round, LSU finds itself competing against No. 15 Clemson, No. 17 Auburn and Nebraska, who claimed its spot in the session with a 195.575-194.475 win over Air Force on Wednesday.
For LSU, the most familiar opponent returning to Baton Rouge is the Auburn Tigers. The last time these two teams met, LSU came out on top with its season-high score of 198.325. Since then, both teams have seen consistency in their gymnastics.
The Clemson Tigers will also be a threat for LSU to overcome. After winning its first-ever ACC Championship, Clemson will be riding into Baton Rouge on a wave of confidence and momentum.
While the orange and purple team hasn’t seen an overall score above 197.175 all season, it’s imperative that LSU doesn’t rest on its laurels against them come Thursday night.
“[The PMAC] should make for a more comfortable environment, but we can’t just take it for granted,” Clark said. “We can’t walk in here thinking we can just walk through this thing. It’s just not the reality of it.”
If the LSU Tigers make it through the second round as one of the top two teams from Session II, then they’ll find themselves back on the competition floor just 72 hours later for the regional final.
This is where the tournament really starts to heat up. LSU could find itself up against No. 7 seed Stanford, No. 10 seed Michigan, North Carolina or Utah State.
Stanford has a preceding reputation as the top-ranked team in the ACC. While it is the closest-seeded team to LSU, this doesn’t denote the Michigan Wolverines that follow just behind.
Both teams have found season-high scores of 197.475 and above, and are led by staple gymnasts such as Anna Roberts and Carly Bauman, who pose threatening parallels against some of LSU’s top scorers, like Kaliya Lincoln or Kailin Chio.
If the Tigers can navigate their way to a top-two finish by the end of Saturday’s competition, they’ll punch their ticket on a plane to Fort Worth.
After last year’s semi-final upset as the defending national champions, a return for the Tigers will be a chance to reclaim the crown and solidify an already historical season.
“Right now, less is more from a physical standpoint,” Clark said. “I just want them to believe in their capability and be the team they’ve been all year long. If they do that, well, they’re gonna be pleased with the results.”
