LSU women's basketball vs. Miami: Score prediction, scouting report from Elite Eight
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Not many prognosticators around women's college basketball predicted an LSU women's basketball matchup vs. Miami in the Greenville 2 Regional of the Elite Eight.
But March Madness has had some "madness" prevail and both the third-seeded Tigers (31-2) and the ninth-seeded Hurricanes (22-12) have defied the odds in the NCAA Tournament to have a shot at making the Final Four.
Kim Mulkey has repeatedly said LSU "isn't supposed to be here" in her second season in Baton Rouge. But the Tigers have a chance to officially announce their return to the top tier of the sport.
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LSU women's basketball will have to solve Miami's press
On paper, it appeared Villanova and the nation's leading scorer, Maddy Siegrest, were a bad matchup for the Canes.
But Katie Meier's squad set their defense – which is frenetic, in-your-face pressure – and it caused all sorts of issues for fourth-seeded Villanova in the 70-65 Sweet 16 win, as well as No. 1 seed Indiana last weekend.
Plenty of times this season, LSU has struggled with press defense. Senior point guard Alexis Morris, as well as Keteri Poole and Last-Tear Poa, will have to be nearly mistake-free handling the ball for LSU to win.
Angel Reese, LaDazhia Williams to be in rebound battle with Miami
Miami pulled down 11 more boards than Villanova on Friday. Multiple positions on the floor crashes the lane for the Hurricanes, as all 10 players who played recorded at least one rebound.
LSU star sophomore forward Angel Reese and senior LaDazhia Williams, who put up 24 points in LSU's win over Utah on Friday, will need to attack the glass as efficiently as possible. They'll have to contend with bodies coming from all angles, so establishing position inside will be crucial.
Score prediction
LSU 69, Miami 62: LSU starts slow but finds its footing against the Hurricanes' defense to make some plays late to get to the Final Four.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU women's basketball vs. Miami: Score prediction, scouting report
