LSU women’s basketball team, led by coach Kim Mulkey, is eyeing a No. 1 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. The team has had a spectacular season with a record of 26-1, including a No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. However, the Tigers are not sure whether they will make it to the top line due to their weak non-conference strength of schedule, ranked near No. 300 nationally.

Mulkey has acknowledged that the selection committee will consider non-conference strength of schedule while deciding on the top seeds for the tournament. She stated that even if they had beaten No. 1 South Carolina, it would not have guaranteed a jump to the 1-line due to their weak schedule.

The team’s chances for a No. 1 seed depend on the performance of other teams in the running, including Stanford, Utah, UConn, Maryland, and Iowa. The latest projections by ESPN’s Charlie Creme had LSU on the 1-line, while the selection committee favored Utah for the final No. 1 seed.

LSU is currently holding steady as a No. 2 seed in ESPN’s bracket, while CBS Sports has projected them as a No. 2 seed along with Utah. The Tigers need to avoid losses to teams they should beat to keep their chances alive.

As the regular season nears its end, the Tigers will be keeping an eye on other teams’ performances during conference tournaments. With the regular season finale against Mississippi State, LSU has an opportunity to solidify their position and possibly make a push for the No. 1 seed.

In the opening round of the tournament, the Tigers would potentially face Fairleigh Dickinson or Southern Utah, with a matchup against No. 7 Oklahoma State or No. 10 Columbia in Baton Rouge.

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In the latest Women’s NCAA basketball bracketology for 2023, Virginia Tech has made an impressive leap up the rankings. With five NET top 25 wins, they are now ranked 12th in the country and are looking like a serious contender for a No. 2 seed.

The No. 1 seeds remain unchanged, with South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford, and UConn all continuing their impressive seasons. However, there is plenty of movement elsewhere in the rankings, with some razor-thin margins between teams vying for a No. 2 seed.

LSU, Utah, Virginia Tech, Iowa, Maryland, Duke, and Notre Dame all look like contenders for a No. 2 seed, with the margins between them incredibly close. This means that every game down the stretch will be crucial for these teams, as they battle it out for a favorable seeding in the tournament.

Virginia Tech has been the most impressive of these teams in recent weeks, picking up two crucial wins against Duke and NC State. Senior Elizabeth Kitley has been a standout player for the Hokies, averaging 19.3 PPG and 3.8 BPG over their current six-game win streak.

But Virginia Tech will need to continue their impressive form if they want to hold onto their No. 2 seed. They face a tough test on Thursday when they take on North Carolina, a team they only narrowly beat earlier in the season.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Iowa continues to impress with their offensive prowess. With an average of 82.5 points per game, they are the nation’s premier offensive juggernaut. They will face their toughest test of the season so far when they take on Indiana on Sunday.

Overall, the Women’s NCAA basketball bracketology for 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting and closely contested tournament. With so many talented teams vying for a top seed, every game will be crucial as we approach the business end of the season.

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The women’s NCAA tournament will undergo significant change for the second consecutive season. The field expanded to 68 teams last year. This season, the customary four regional sites have been reduced to two: Seattle and Greenville, South Carolina. The top 16 teams will continue to host the first and second rounds, and the First Four games will again be played at the site of the first-round games to which they feed. Defending champion South Carolina is the heavy favorite, and the Gamecocks seek to become the first repeat champions since UConn in 2015-16. The Final Four is March 31 and April 2 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

More:https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30423107/ncaa-women-bracketology-2023-women-college-basketball-projections

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In a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press, Tara VanDerveer’s Stanford Cardinal moved up to No. 3 after securing back-to-back victories against Arizona and Arizona State. Stanford (24-3, 12-2 Pac-12) put on an impressive display on Thursday night, dismantling the then-No. 17 ranked Arizona Wildcats 84-60 before following up with another impressive 96-64 victory over Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.

Stanford’s fantastic road performances have propelled them from their previous position at No. 6 in the national poll to No. 3. The Cardinal has now won ten of their last eleven games and sit atop the Pac-12 alongside the Utah Utes.

The South Carolina Gamecocks continue to hold the No. 1 spot, marking the 34th consecutive week they have done so. The team recently defeated the LSU Tigers 88-64 in an exciting matchup between two unbeaten teams. Indiana and Utah followed behind the Gamecocks, earning the No. 2 and No. 4 spots, respectively.

The latest poll also recognized Stanford’s freshman center Lauren Betts, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after posting an impressive 25 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the floor in the team’s recent road sweep.

In other basketball news, the WCC Freshman of the Week has been awarded to Tess Heal for the fourth week in a row, bringing her total to ten this season. The Santa Clara guard recently scored a personal-high 29 points in a loss at Pacific and 20 points in another loss at St. Mary’s.

Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s Gaels (22-5, 11-1 WCC) have dropped two spots to No. 17 in the AP poll after losing in overtime to Loyola Marymount, snapping their 12-game win streak. Despite the loss, senior guard Logan Johnson led the team to victory against Portland with a combined 65 points in both games.

Stanford will look to continue their winning streak when they host No. 25 USC on Friday, February 18th. The Cardinal will face off against Utah (22-2, 12-2) on February 25th in what is expected to be a fiercely competitive game.

The latest poll has caused a significant shakeup in the top 25 rankings, with Alabama rising to the No. 1 spot for the first time in 20 years. This move was due in part to Purdue’s loss to Northwestern last week, which created a domino effect at the top of the AP Top 25.

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UConn Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma Shows Emotion in Intense Game against South Carolina

HARTFORD, CT – The UConn women’s basketball team took the court against South Carolina in a highly anticipated match at the XL Center, and although the Huskies fell short, losing 81-77, the real story of the night was the emotion displayed by legendary head coach Geno Auriemma.

The game was filled with intensity and Coach Auriemma’s technical foul was a testament to his commitment to his team. The incident occurred when Lou Lopez Sénéchal was jostled while attempting to come off a screen with just under four minutes left in the game. Auriemma expressed his frustration with the referee by spiking his water bottle on the court.

“The technical was a result of my emotions getting the best of me,” Coach Auriemma stated after the game. “I couldn’t stay quiet any longer after seeing one of my players getting physically overpowered on the court. It was no longer basketball in that moment.” Coach Auriemma’s display of emotion was a clear demonstration of his passion for the sport and his players.

Despite the loss, the Huskies fought until the final buzzer. Nika Muhl and Lopez Sénéchal eventually fouled out, while Aaliyah Edwards played with four fouls late in the game. Despite the setbacks, the team never gave up and continued to battle until the final buzzer.

Coach Auriemma also spoke about the impact of the way the game is officiated on how the players perform. “The way the game is called affects how the game is played,” he said. “As a player and coach, you have to adjust your strategy to the way the game is being called on that day.”

The UConn women’s basketball program has a long history of success, and Coach Auriemma’s technical foul is just another example of his commitment to his team and the sport. The emotion and intensity shown by Coach Auriemma is what makes college basketball so exciting and captivating to watch.

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