How to watch No. 3-seeded LSU women’s basketball vs. No. 14-seeded Hawaii in NCAA tournament opener Friday
Tournament time is upon us, and the LSU women’s basketball team is set to begin its postseason run on its home court on Friday afternoon as the No. 3-seeded Tigers take on the No. 14-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Wahine.
LSU enters at 28-2 on the year, though it’s coming off a disappointing loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinal, which may have cost it a spot on the two-seed line. It will face a Hawaii team that enters at 18-14 having won the Big West tournament as a No. 3 seed.
This is the second year in a row that the Tigers have drawn a No. 3 seed. Last year’s team won its opener but was bounced in the second round in an upset against Ohio State. Veteran Alexis Morris is the only returning piece from that team among a new-look roster.
“We’re not much more prepared than last year because you have nine new pieces,” Coach Kim Mulkey said in a release. “See, that’s what people keep forgetting. Alexis Morris was with us last year. Angel (Reese) may have a little taste of it when she was at Maryland.”
LSU begins what it hopes will be its first run to the Sweet 16 (or beyond) since 2014 on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. CT. Here’s everything you need to know to follow this one.
How to Watch
Date: March 17, 2023
Time: 4:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
App: WatchESPN
Radio: LSU Sports Radio Network
Injury Report
LSU is healthy entering this game.
Players to Watch
LSU
Points — F [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] (23.4 PPG)
Rebounds — F Angel Reese (15.5 RPG)
Assists — G [autotag]Alexis Morris[/autotag] (4.2 APG)
Steals — F Angel Reese (1.8 SPG)
Blocks — F Angel Reese (1.4 BPG)
Hawaii
Points — G Lily Wahinekapu (12.6 PPG)
Rebounds —F Kallin Spiller (6.9 RPG)
Assists — G Lily Wahinekapu (2.9 APG)
Steals — G Lily Wahinekapu (1.7 SPG)
Blocks — F Kallin Spiller (0.8 BPG)
Tournament Preview
Prediction
Despite the sour conclusion, it was a fantastic regular season for the Tigers who find themselves in a good position for the tournament as far as seeing goes. They draw a Rainbow Wahine team that is hot, having won five in a row and overcoming 1-7 start to the season. However, Hawaii has only truly been tested once, a 68-39 loss to Stanford way back in November. LSU may not win by quite that margin, but I don’t think it will be particularly close.
Prediction: LSU 75, Hawaii 49
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