The Journey Begins for the No. 1-seeded Lady Tigers

EUGENE, Ore. — On Wednesday, the No. 1-seeded LSU women’s basketball team began its journey toward the Women’s Final Four in Atlanta, Ga., leaving Baton Rouge for the West coast and the first of what they hope will be six games in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Take a look at the first LSUsports.net Photo Gallery from the trip to Eugene.

The Lady Tigers (27-3), champions of the SEC Tournament less than two weeks ago, departed from Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport at 5:20 p.m. CST for the long trip over the Rockies.

The Situation: Traveling West

Although awarded the first No. 1 seed in school history, coach Sue Gunter’s team was sent backing to the furthest “predetermined site” of first and second-round games in the country. The NCAA sent the Lady Tigers to Eugene in order to reward their No. 1 seed with a neutral site.

For the first time since the women’s tournament began in 1982, the NCAA abandoned its “highest seed hosts the first two rounds” method en lieu of allowing schools to bid on playing host to these first games of the tournament. The organization hopes to one day move to completely neutral sites like the men’s tournament.

Because Oregon and North Carolina State did not make the 64-team women’s field, No. 1 seeds LSU and Duke were sent there. Fellow No. 1s UConn and Tennessee were among the predetermined sites and will play host to the first two rounds —   the Lady Vols will also play host to the NCAA Regional semifinals and finals.

Unfortunately, the Lady Tigers were not able to make the 28-mile bus trip down Interstate 40 from Durham to Raleigh for their first-round game against Southwest Texas.

Instead, LSU traveled nearly 2,700 miles and more than four hours by charter airplane for Saturday’s 10:30 p.m. CST contest, and likely a second-round matchup with either No. 8 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay or No. 9 seed Washington.

The (Long) Trip

Despite circumnavigating one-tenth of the globe and spending more time on one leg of their round-trip flight than they’ll spend on the court, the Lady Tigers aren’t complaining.

In Gunter’s 21st season at LSU, she finally earned her first top-seed and all of the (err) advantages that come with it. Her Lady Tigers have twice been seeded No. 2 (1986 and 1991) in 13 NCAA appearances.

4 p.m. CST — The Lady Tigers departed LSU’s campus from the East Campus Apartments after a few media interviews with WBRZ and The Advocate to make a 5 p.m. scheduled departure from an auxiliary gate of Baton Rouge Metro Airport.

5:20 p.m. CST — With WAFB’s cameras rolling at the airport, the Lady Tigers boarded the MD-87 jet. After a short delay awaiting the arrival of a critical piece of luggage left behind by a forever-unnamed passenger, the Lady Tigers took off on Allegiant Air’s Flight 92 for the four-plus hour trip.

An early dinner awaited the Lady Tigers on board, along with members of the LSU “Bengal Brass Basketball Band,” the LSU Cheerleaders and a group of Fast Break Club Members who purchased a chance to travel with and support the Lady Tigers just as they have done throughout the season.

6 p.m. CST — Somewhere over Texas, the friendly crew of Flight 92 came through the aisles offering more than your average pre-packaged “air food.” A plethora of snacks and drinks detrimental to any South Louisiana Catholic’s Lenten sacrifices was paraded through the cabin like Rex down Canal St. on Mardi Gras.

If there was a request, Stacie, Lauren and Summer could come up with it. Candy, fruit, frozen treats, mints, soft drinks, chocolate milk and (administrative assistant Joe Carvalhilo’s favorite) honey roasted peanuts were among the feast that kept most from getting a little shut-eye.

6 p.m. MST — As the clouds broke over Colorado, the passengers got a great view of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains for the first time.

Meanwhile, while some grew restless and needed a little stretch, the LSU coaching staff caught up on some reading, some writing and some scouting reports … and a little fun.

As assistant coach Bob Starkey — who admitted “I don’t like flying. At all.” — tried his best to sleep, coach Gunter passed time with blackjack on her Palm Pilot that each coach mainly uses to keep track of hundreds of potential recruits and professional contacts.

A discussion about how to “Hot Sync” one’s PDA sounded more like a Microsoft TechNet group chat session than a top-seeded women’s basketball staff gearing up for their road toward Atlanta.

Meanwhile, sports information associate Brian Miller finished watching “The Rookie” on his notebook computer. Something seems a little backward about that….

6:45 p.m. PST — Time seemed to stand still as the Lady Tigers chased the setting sun to the West coast.

Some of the team members joined the staff in a game of Spades, while other slept and still other continued to eat one snack after another.

7:45 p.m. PST — Beginning his descent, the captain notified the passengers that temperatures in Eugene were about 45 degrees with light rain — that’s about 30 degrees colder than when the team left balmy Baton Rouge.

Things were changing. Conversations were changing. Attitudes were changing as the Lady Tigers were about to descend from the clouds and embark on their most promising chance at a Final Four in school history.

Suddenly, the topic of choice wasn’t about Rudy Giuliani’s book Leadership or a banal discussion about day-to-day activities.

It was all about the games, the team and the opponents — how to obtain a VHS tape of a game going on across the country, how much better Southwest Texas is three months after the Lady Tigers handed the Bobcats a 51-point defeat, how to defend the “undefendable” Pac 10 Player of the Year (Washington’s 5-11 guard Giuliana Mendiola), how to match-up with a UW-Green Bay team that hit 16 three-pointers one night and 15 a few nights later.

8:25 p.m. PST — The Lady Tigers landed, boarded a bus and traveled across Eugene to their home hotel.

The journey has begun. The Lady Tigers are on the road to Atlanta.