BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s basketball team earned an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament and the No. 11 seed in the Albany Regional as announced Monday by the NCAA Selection Committee.
The Lady Tigers (17-13, 10-6 SEC) square off with No. 6 seed South Florida during Saturday’s NCAA Tournament First Round. Tip time is slated for approximately 5:30 p.m. CT from the USF Sun Dome, and the game will televised by ESPN2.
No. 3 seed Louisville and No. 14 seed BYU will meet at 3 p.m. CT Saturday. The two winners will meet in Monday’s NCAA Second Round at a time to be determined by the NCAA office.
LSU secured its fourth straight NCAA Tournament selection under head coach Nikki Caldwell and the program’s 16th appearance over the last 17 seasons since 1999. Overall, the Lady Tigers collected their 24th NCAA Tournament bid which is tied for sixth most among the 2015 NCAA Field of 64.
LSU was one of seven SEC teams named to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The seven teams are tied with the Big 10 for the second-most bids and are only behind the ACC’s eight to the NCAA Field of 64.
“I’m excited to be playing a very good team in USF,” head coach Nikki Caldwell said. “They have tremendous play in the post and on the perimeter. This time of year, it is anybody’s game. I want us to make sure that we are sticking to our game plan, and we are going in there with great intensity and a lot of effort.”
The winner of the Tampa site will advance to the Sweet 16 and regional semifinal in Albany, New York and will face the winner of the Lexington, Kentucky which features No. 2 seed Kentucky, No. 15 seed Tennessee State, No. 7 seed Dayton and No. 10 Iowa State. The 2015 NCAA Final Four will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
LSU Women’s Basketball Quotes
NCAA Selection Show – March 16, 2015
Head Coach Nikki Caldwell
On playing South Florida …
“I’m excited to be playing a very good team in USF. They have tremendous play in the post and on the perimeter. This time of year, it is anybody’s game. I want us to make sure that we are sticking to our game plan, and we are going in there with great intensity and a lot of effort.”
On her familiarity with South Florida …
“I have been able to watch some of their play action against Connecticut. They are a well-coached team. But again, this time of year you’re going to play teams that have great guard play. We do as well. That’s going to be a key matchup for us, taking away the leadership and the guard action that they present. We are going to focus on our ability to defend and disrupt people.”
On the fan support throughout the season …
“I just hate that we are not able to host because we have the best fans in the country. We’ve been able to host the first and second rounds the last couple of years. Now, we are on the road, but our fans travel. They do a great job of coming out and supporting us. We have a group that came out to the SEC Tournament. I know that they are going to be excited to be going to Tampa. This whole season, obviously, there have been some tough games in the PMAC, but our fans have really come through at the sixth man and got us through those wins.”
NCAA Tournament First-Round Matchups
All Times Central and subject to change
Albany Region
Saturday, March 21, at Storrs, Conn.
1. Connecticut vs. 16. St. Francis (N.Y.), 8 p.m., ESPN2
8. Rutgers vs. Seton Hall, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Berkeley, Calif.
5. Texas vs. 12. Western Kentucky, 4 p.m., ESPN2
4. California vs. 13. Wichita St., 6:30 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Tampa Bay, Fla.
3. Louisville vs. 14. BYU, 3 p.m., ESPN2
6. South Florida vs. 11. LSU, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Lexington, Ky.
7. Dayton vs. 10. Iowa St., 11 a.m., ESPN2
2. Kentucky vs. 15. Tennessee St., 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Oklahoma City Region
Friday, March 20, at South Bend, Ind.
1. Notre Dame vs. 16. Montana, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
8. Minnesota vs. DePaul, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Palo Alto, Calif.
5. Oklahoma vs. 12. Quinnipiac, 3 p.m., ESPN2
4. Stanford vs. 13. CS Northridge, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Iowa City, Iowa
6. Washington vs. Miami (Fla.), 11 a.m., ESPN2
3. Iowa vs. 14. American, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Waco, Texas
7. Northwestern vs. 10. Arkansas, 11 a.m., ESPN2
2. Baylor vs. 15. Northwestern St., 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Greensboro Region
Friday, March 20, at Columbia, S.C.
1. South Carolina vs. 16. Savannah St., 4 p.m., ESPN2
8. Syracuse vs. 9. Nebraska, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Chapel Hill, N.C.
5. Ohio St. vs. 12. James Madison, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
4. North Carolina vs. 13. Liberty, 10 a.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Tempe, Ariz.
6. Texas A&M vs. 11. Arkansas-Little Rock, 3 p.m., ESPN2
3. Arizona St. vs. 14. Ohio, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Tallahassee, Fla.
7. Florida Gulf Coast vs. 10. Oklahoma St., 10 a.m., ESPN2
2. Florida St. vs. 15. Alabama St., 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
Spokane Region
Saturday, March 21, at College Park, Md.
1. Maryland vs. 16 New Mexico St., 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
8. Princeton vs. 9. Green Bay, 10 a.m. ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Durham, N.C.
5. Mississippi St. vs. 12. Tulane, 1:30 p.m. ESPN2
4. Duke vs. 13. Albany, 11 a.m., ESPN2
Friday, March 20, at Corvallis, Ore.
6. George Washington vs. 11. Gonzaga, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
3. Oregon St. vs. 14 South Dakota St., 4 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, March 21, at Knoxville, Tenn.
7. Chattanooga vs. 10. Pittsburgh, 10 a.m., ESPN2
2. Tennessee vs. 15. Boise St., 12:30 p.m., ESPN2