On Update c Nearly no one anticipated the LSU Tigers or the Iowa Hawkeyes to be in this circumstance.
Nonetheless, those two teams will compete on Sunday afternoon for the title of 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national champions.
It is much less likely that the Tigers, a 3-seed entering the tournament, will be in this position than the Hawkeyes, a 2-seed.
Before the Tigers enter the field on Sunday, here are five things to know about them (2:30 p.m., ABC).
LSU has progressed through the competition rather easily.
This season’s NCAA Tournament hasn’t required much sweat from LSU. The Tigers have won all but two of their five games by double digits. They defeated Hawaii by a score of 23 in the first round, and then easily defeated Michigan in the Round of 32. Their toughest challenge came in the Sweet 16 against 2-seed Utah, which they won 66-63. After easily defeating Miami in the Elite Eight, they defeated Virginia Tech in the Final Four by rallying in the fourth quarter. roxannesreflections
Both teams’ inaugural national championship contest
Louisianans share the excitement that exists in Iowa about the prospect of the Hawkeyes bringing home the program’s first national championship. The
Tigers have six Final Four appearances under their belt, but until to this season, they had never advanced past the national semifinals.The Hawkeyes
Are used to seeing deadly and well-known Angel Reese.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Iowa supporters will need to be aware of the name sophomore forward Angel Reese, but they are hoping not to hear it too much on ABC’s coverage. Reese leads the club in scoring with 23.3 points per contest and a.527 field goal percentage. She won’t pose a significant threat to the Hawkeyes from a distance, though. She has only attempted six 3-pointers this season, and she has only hit one of them.
Fans of Iowa might recall her. Before moving to LSU before the 2022–23 season, she played two seasons at Big Ten competitor and rival Maryland. She recorded a double-double last season against the Hawkeyes, helping the Terps defeat them 81-69 as she scored 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds.
There will be much of offensive play. Sunday
The top-ranked offense of Iowa faced the top-ranked defense of the Gamecocks in the national semifinal matchup. But the game on Sunday will be a little different.
The Tigers enter this game with the nation’s fifth-best offense, scoring 81.8 points per game on average as opposed to Iowa’s 87.6. Yet, LSU’s defense is equally as strong as their offense, allowing only 56.7 points per game as opposed to the Hawkeyes’ 70.9 average.
Kim Mulkey has a history of success.
We can anticipate more of the outrageous dress choices made by LSU’s head coach in her second season. The most recent of her three national championships, with Baylor in 2019, is more significant than anything else. She is a tough coach.
When she made the decision to leave the Bears and take the helm at LSU at the beginning of last season, she rocked the college basketball world. Prior to her appointment, the Tigers had struggled and had missed the NCAA Tournament four years in a row. Since 2014, LSU hadn’t progressed past the first weekend of the competition.
Last season, she helped LSU return to the NCAA Tournament, and this year, she has led the school to its first-ever national championship game.