Well, the game itself may not have been the most elite basketball we’ve ever seen, but it’s been a great tournament for both Miami and LSU as they face off in the Elite Eight. The No. 9 seed Miami team has had an incredible run in the tournament, ousting both No. 1 seed Indiana and No. 4 seed Villanova to make the Elite Eight.
It would have been fun (and chaotic) to see Miami beat another top-seeded team to make the Final Four, but tonight wasn’t their night – it was Angel Reese’s night.
LSU and head coach Kim Mulkey have been on a tear this season with one of the top-ranked teams in the country. They entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, led by a player who (until recently) was in talks for some of the major national prizes. Despite being ineligible for some of those awards, Angel Reese has been on fire this year.
Overall this game was not an attacking masterclass. By halftime, the score was only 26–20 for LSU. Nevertheless, Reese proved why she is one of the best players in the country. In a situation where this team could have joined Indiana and Villanova in Miami’s wake due to poor offensive performance, Reese saved them.
His 13 points and 18 rebounds led LSU in this game. Joined by Alexis Morris’ 21 points, the two led LSU to the Final Four. They were the only two LSU players to score in double digits.
For Miami, the only player to score more than four points in the entire game was Jasmine Roberts with 22 points. He seemed to have lost his energy after some incredible games that came down to the last seconds in the earlier rounds. They deserve a lot of credit for coming into the tournament and making a splash against the top seeded teams. Today was not his day.
The stats for the rest of the teams…were interesting. Miami beat LSU in field goal percentage, 31.6 percent to 30.2 percent. LSU beat Miami in 3-point percentage, eight percent to zero. Miami had 18 turnovers, but LSU was not far behind with 13. LSU was successful, but it wasn’t pretty. Still, a win is a win, and LSU now has to look forward to their next game.
LSU will need to carry it forward in their Final Four matchup. They will face the winner of Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech. Ohio State pulled off an upset defeating UConn in the Sweet Sixteen, helped greatly by their full court press defense. Virginia Tech has a skilful veteran in speedy Georgia Amur and Elizabeth Kitley. Whatever LSU gets, it will be a battle for them to make the finals.
For now, LSU keeps dancing. We’ll see how far this team can go when they reach the Final Four in Texas this weekend.
