Fresh off a 23-point win in their NCAA women’s tournament opener against Hawaii, the No. 3-seeded LSU Tigers (29-2) will be back in action on Sunday for a second-round duel against the No. 6-seeded Michigan Wolverines (23-9), who moved on by virtue of a 71-59 win over 11-seeded UNLV.
The Tigers will look to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014, as well as the first time under second-year coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag]. LSU was also a No. 3 seed last year but was eliminated in the second round by a No. 6-seeded Big Ten team in Ohio State. It will hope for a different result this time around.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Mulkey, who will be coaching her 800th career game on Sunday, said in a release. “This would just be another stepping stone that we’ve stepped on.”
The Wolverines played a difficult schedule but only earned one ranked win on the year. They ranked as high as No. 12 but dropped after dropping three of their final four regular-season games, and they were eliminated by the rival Buckeyes in the quarterfinals at the Big Ten Tournament.
“It’s just going to be a very, very good matchup,” Coach Mulkey said. “The difference is we have maybe a little bit more speed, they have more height. What is it going to take? It’s going to take just grinding.
“They have been together a while, and they play like it. They know every move each of them makes, and you can just tell as a coach they just run a little bit more smooth.”
LSU will look to exceed last season’s finish on Sunday night against Michigan. Here’s everything you need to know to follow this one, which tips at 6:30 p.m CT.