NEW ORLEANS – North Carolina’s past three NCAA Tournament appearances have ended – either in the Elite Eight or Final Four – at the hands of the eventual national champions.
LSU would like nothing more than to continue that trend tonight when the No. 2 seed Lady Tigers face the No. 1 seed Tar Heels at 6:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Arena.
With a win, LSU (30-5) would secure its fifth-straight trip to the Final Four. North Carolina (33-2) hopes to extend its own streak of consecutive Final Fours to three.
“It’s a shame that we have to play each other to go to the Final Four,” said North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell. “This game could easily be the caliber of talent you would see for a national championship. It could actually be better.”
The nationally-televised matchup presents some intriguing statistical parallels.
North Carolina boasts the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, scoring 87.6 points per game. LSU holds the nation’s top scoring defense, limiting opponents to 50.6 points per game.
North Carolina ranks No. 2 in scoring margin, defeating opponents by an average of 23.7 points per contest. LSU ranks No. 3 with a plus-20 point margin.
Both teams went 14-0 in regular season conference play.
Veteran coaches with more than 30 years of coaching experience lead each team. LSU coach Van Chancellor has an Olympic gold medal and four WNBA championships. Hatchell, who won an NCAA Championship in 1994, has the third-most career wins among active coaches.
But Chancellor downplayed the pressure he might feel to get LSU back to another Final Four.
“This is not a burning, yearning deal to me,” he said. “Every blessing that could happen to a coach in a lifetime has already happened to me. I’m just trying to do the best I can do for these players to have the opportunity to play for a national championship.”
He acknowledged getting his players past the Tar Heels will be no easy task and said North Carolina is arguably the best offensive team he has seen this season.
“They have outstanding guard play and tremendous depth at the post position,” he said.
All five of North Carolina’s starters average double figures in scoring. Junior forward Rashanda McCants leads the Tar Heels with 16 points per game while senior forward LaToya Pringle adds 14.4 points per game.
One notable matchup will be between LSU 6-foot-6-inch senior center Sylvia Fowles and North Carolina 6-foot-1-inch forward Erlana Larkins, who are both Wade Trophy finalists.
“I have no other choice,” Larkins said about facing Fowles in the paint. “It’s going to be hard to keep the ball away from her. I just need to be physical with her and stay behind her.”
Fowles said Larkins is an “all-around player” who presents multiple challenges.
“She’s quick for a post player,” she said. “She can take you off the dribble. She can rebound. She gets good position on the inside. My main focus is to play hard for 40 minutes and not give her anything too easy.”
LSU advanced to the New Orleans Regional Final with a 67-52 win Saturday against No. 3 seed Oklahoma State.
Senior guard Erica White led the Lady Tigers in the victory with 18 points. Senior guard RaShonta LeBlanc added 13 points, and Fowles had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
North Carolina erased an 18-point deficit and reached the Elite Eight with a 78-74 win Saturday against Louisville. Pringle led the way for the Tar Heels with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]