Two of the nation’s most prolific offenses will go head-to-head Monday night at 5 p.m. CT in the PMAC when No. 3 LSU hosts No. 6 Florida State in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament on ESPN with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Roy Philpott and Jimmy Dykes will call the game for ESPN. Fans can also listen to Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the LSU Sports Radio Network.
LSU dominated every facet of its first-round matchup against SDSU. Six players scored in double figures and the Tigers’ 103 points were the most in program history in a NCAA Tournament game. FSU handled George Mason with a 94-59 win in its first-round contest.
Both LSU and FSU rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring. The Seminoles are No. 2 in the country with 87.4 points per game. The Tigers are No. 6 with 85.0 points per game. Both teams also possess a ‘big three’ scoring threat.
LSU’s big three is made up of All-Americans Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams who combine to average 54.4 points per game. Johnson has four straight NCAA Tournament games with 20+ points. Morrow leads the nation with 28 double-doubles and 13.6 rebounds per game. Williams is a threat from anywhere on the floor and was 4-4 from deep in LSU’s win over SDSU.
FSU’s big three is made up of Ta’Niya Latson, Makayla Timpson and O’Mariah Gordon who combine to average 58.8 points per game. Latson is the nation’s leading scorer with 25.0 points per game. Sydney Bowles also averages in double figures for the Seminoles. The four players scored each scored at least 15 points on Saturday and combined for 79 points.
“It’s their dribble penetration that creates a lot of things,” Coach Mulkey said. “They are so long. They are athletic. They are a handful.”
“It’s always dope to play great people, and if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best,” Johnson said. “Obviously they have the leading scorer in the nation on their team. We just have to be us, and we have to be solid.”
Everybody ate for LSU in its first-round victory. Johnson led the way with 22 points. Morrow had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Williams scored 13 points. Shayeann Day-Wilson scored a season-high 11 points. Mjracle Sheppard and Sa’Myah Smith both chipped in 10 points. Aalyah Del Rosario was productive with 9 points and 7 rebounds. The Tigers had 48 bench points.
“That’s the LSU type of basketball we try to play,” Williams said.
Day-Wilson, Johnson and Williams made at least three threes, shooting the ball well from the perimeter.
A win for LSU on Monday would send the Tigers back to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row.
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