Who? The Lady Tigers of Louisiana State. Occasionally known as Bayou Bengals to differentiate them from the myriad Tigers who prowl the NCAA.
What? Derived from the Tiger Rifles of New Orleans. Mike is named after LSU's athletic trainer at the time the first real tiger arrived on campus. (Fuzzy Mike is on Twitter. Furry Mike is actually named Roscoe.)
Where? Baton Rouge, Louisiana, named for a boundary pole.
When? March 18th, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Partner: San Diego State, of the Mountain West Conference.
Surprise? They were tabbed third in the preseason poll and ended up the fourth seed in the conference tournament, and their three-letter-acronyms look good.
RPI: 18
SOS: 17
Record: 22-10 (10-6 Southeastern)
Good wins: Georgetown, Kentucky (once home, once neutral)
Bad losses: Northwestern. At Tulane doesn't look good right now either, even if it was overtime.
Who's running this show? Nikki Caldwell, since 2011. Looks good on a Harley (unfortunately, pic with Harley not included). (Also, congratulations on baby Justice!)
Extra, Extra!The Advocate.
It hasn't been easy for the LSU offense since point guard Destini Hughes tore her... well, everything... against Tennessee in January; this team has a negative A/TO and turns the ball over more than its opponents. The centerpiece has been senior forward LaSondra Barrett, averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds to lead her team. She gets help from junior guard Adrienne Webb (10.1 ppg) and senior forward Courtney Jones (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rebounds.) If the injury to Barrett in the conference tournament is anything serious and long-lasting, LSU is in for trouble.