The LSU Tigers won 28 games and have won the first two during the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday, they face UCLA in a tough Sweet 16 showdown in Albany.
However, the 2-seed UCLA Bruins might provide LSU with their biggest challenge in a while.
Will Rosenblatt discussed LSU’s concerns about UCLA’s toughness:
LSU is the favorite, but UCLA would be the best team it’s beaten all year. The Tigers’ best win to date is an 82-64 victory over Virginia Tech in November.
LSU’s struggled against stronger competition. According to the Massey Ratings, LSU is 0-3 in its three toughest games. That includes two losses to South Carolina and one in the season opener to Colorado.
By all measures, UCLA is one of the eight or so best teams in the country. We know LSU has the talent to win this game and the postseason pedigree to go along with it. Still, the Tigers have something to prove after failing to notch a signature win the regular season.
The winner moves on to the Elite Eight to face the winner of Caitlin Clark’s Iowa team and JR Payne’s Colorado squad, so there is a lot on the line in this one.
Who comes out on top?