LSU had enough evidence to know what was going to happen in its NCAA tournament first-round game against Jacksonville at the PMAC on Friday evening.
The Tigers played 13 non-power conference opponents during the regular season. LSU won all 13 games by an average score of 109-51 – a 58-point margin of victory.
Certainly, not unexpectedly, the Tigers had no problems handling the Dolphins. Here’s the interesting fact. LSU beat Jacksonville 116-58 – a 58-point margin of victory.
Teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference are not going to have any chance of going to the home court of a top four national seed and making the game competitive, much less pull an upset.
The Tigers had no intention of allowing the Dolphins to hang around for half of the opening quarter Friday. LSU scored the first 14 points in slightly more than two minutes.
The Tigers scored points on six of their first seven possessions. Mikaylah Williams converted a three-point play and knocked down a 3-pointer. ZaKiyah Johnson made two field goals and two free throws.
The other two LSU points came on foul shots by Flau’jae Johnson. The seventh Tigers possession ended with a Jada Richard turnover.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville came up empty on its first seven trips – turnovers on its first three, missed field goal attempts on its next three and a turnover on its seventh possession. The Dolphins scored on a basket by Carmaya Brown with 7:14 to play in the quarter.
By the end of the first ten minutes, LSU had a 34-14 advantage. The Tigers increased their lead to 28 points by the half. A huge third quarter put LSU ahead by 46 points at 94-48. The Tigers outscored Jacksonville by 12 points in the final period.
There is not much to take away from LSU’s lopsided victory over the Dolphins. The Tigers made 60 percent of their field goal attempts. LSU had assists on 24 of their 43 baskets. LSU did commit 15 turnovers – too high a number as it goes deeper into the tournament.
Yes, coach Kim Mulkey has put together a deep roster. Seven individuals scored at least ten points. The complementary players are present.
Jada Richard had 17 points, four assists and four steals. ZaKiyah Johnson had 16 points and five rebounds. Kate Koval had 11 points and eight rebounds. Grace Knox had 11 points.
However, make no mistake about what must happen when the better opponents pop on the Tigers’ bracket. LSU’s ‘Big Three’ – Flau’jae Johnson, Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley – must perform their best.
Those three players accounted for 51 points against Jacksonville – 20 for Flau’jae Johnson, 18 for Williams and 13 for Fulwiley. The trio were a combined 19-of-32 on their field goal attempts. The three players made five of their ten 3-point shots.
Then, there were the other helpful numbers from these three players. Flau’jae Johnson had five rebounds and three steals. Williams had ten assists, five rebounds and three steals. Fulwiley had three blocked shots and two steals.
The competition becomes stronger Sunday when LSU faces Texas Tech or Villanova in the second round. However, the Tigers have their eye on the more powerful teams in the tournament next week. LSU’s ‘Big Three’ need to be at their best each game from now on.
