BATON ROUGE — LSU’s 13th-ranked women’s basketball team will face 22nd-ranked Texas Tech in the Four in the Four Classic, it was announced on Monday by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Lifetime Television For Women and Host Communications.
UCLA, ranked No. 5 in the nation, and ninth-ranked North Carolina will meet at 6 p.m. in the first game of the Classic. LSU and Texas Tech will play at 8:30 p.m. in a game televised live by the Lifetime Network. The game can also be heard on the LSU Sports Network. LSU’s game against Texas Tech will mark the first time in school history in which the Lady Tigers will open their season against a team ranked in the top 25.
The pairings for the Classic were determined by fan balloting which was conducted on the Lifetime Network website.
“Texas Tech has an outstanding program,” LSU coach Sue Gunter said. “They’ve won a national championship, they have great fan support and they have a very talented team this year.
“It’s a great way to open the season, playing in their new arena in front of a packed house and on national television. It should be a heckuva game.”
Last year, LSU reached the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament and posted a 22-8 overall mark, which included winning a school-record 10 Southeastern Conference games. Texas Tech, which posted a 30-4 mark last season, also advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago. UCLA was 26-8 last season and advanced to the NCAA West Regional finals at the NCAA Tournament, while North Carolina posted a 28-8 mark and was eliminated by eventual national champion Purdue in the Sweet 16.
In addition to the Classic, Secret Antiperspirant, the Partnership of Women’s Health at Columbia University, Tampax Satin, and Nike will host a Self-Esteem Symposium for 200 teenage girls and their mentors. The purpose of the symposium is to help teenage girls develop the skills necessary to build a healthy self-esteem. Sheryl Swoopes, Gail Devers, Tina Thompson, and other Nike athletes as well as platinum rhythm and blues recording artist Mya will participate in the event slate for Friday on the Texas Tech campus.