
2023 NCAA Girls’s Basketball Event: No. 6-seed Michigan Girls’s Basketball (23-9) vs. No. 3 LSU Tigers (29-2)
matching: No. 6 Michigan (23-9, 11-7 Large Ten) vs. No. 3 LSU (29-2, 15-1 SEC), NCAA Event Greenville 2 Area 2d Spherical.
tip off: Sunday evenings 7:30; Pete Maravich Meeting Heart, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
TV: ESPN.
At risk: The winner will face both 3-seed Utah or 10-seed Princeton on Friday in Greenville, South Carolina, for a place within the Elite 8.
• field rating
NCAA Historical past
The Wolverines’ win progressed them to 11–10 all-time in 11 tournaments, with 5 directly second-round appearances below head trainer Kim Barnes at Enrico. (Regardless that they did input the Elite 8 closing season.) LSU seems to be getting the required leads to its moment season below longtime Baylor trainer Kim Mulkey, beginning with a 23-point disenchanted over 14-seed Hawaii within the first. Was once accompanied by way of victory. around on Friday. After shedding in the second one around closing season, the Tigers are 45–27 all-time within the event over 28 seasons, with 5 journeys to the Ultimate 4 (albeit with none name sport appearances). All 5 Ultimate 4 appearances got here throughout a five-season run from 2003–08; Since then the Tigers have made the Candy 16 simply two times (2013–14).
Friday’s first around:Michigan girls roll up 71-59 over Rebels to advance to moment around of NCAA Event
trophy case:Michigan girls’s basketball has had 3 avid gamers decided on to the Large Ten All-Convention groups
seek for tigers
It is a easy method for Mulkey’s Tigers: Shoot within the arc frequently (LSU’s 50.2 2-pointers according to sport ranks 6th within the nation), do it neatly (50.6% on 2-pointers, thirty fourth nationally) just right for), and for those who leave out, rebound the ball (47.2 forums according to sport, 3rd nationally, and 17.2 on offense according to sport, just right for fourth) and get started once more. What about 3-pointers? We are not pronouncing LSU cannot hit them — their 35.9% dashing luck ranks twenty sixth within the nation — however they in reality do not take a look at in any respect: Their 15 3s according to sport rank amongst 350 groups. ranked simply 307th.
wolverine quest
The Wolverines’ plan is not so other, particularly as completed on Friday afternoon towards UNLV: UM tried simply 15 3s, hit six of them (and 4 of the ones, on six tries, senior guard Maddie Nolan) and shot 45.5%. (20-for-44) on 2-point makes an attempt. In truth, it wasn’t a just right capturing day for the Wolverines, who hit 9 of 13 photographs within the 3rd quarter and simply 17 of 46 (36.9%) within the different 3 frames. 5th-year guard Leigh Brown appeared to penetrate the Rebels’ protection within the paint with few problems. To take action towards the Tigers could be a fully other subject, however we’re going to come to that.
4 at the ground
There are many gifted avid gamers on each rosters, however listed here are 4 avid gamers — two Wolverines and two Tigers — who may just play a large position on Sunday:
Superstar of U-M: G Laila Felia
In spite of being just about two weeks clear of video games, the secondary is probably not totally wholesome. In his 3rd sport after lacking seven directly in February and March, he logged 32 mins and scored 8 issues with 11 rebounds whilst dressed in a heavy knee brace. Felia, who’s from Cincinnati, entered the event averaging 16.9 issues, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals. That scoring reasonable just about doubled from his freshman yr (8.8), whilst best going from 22.9 mins according to sport to 33. When Felia’s scoring sport is on, so is Wolverine; He scored no less than 20 issues 10 occasions this season, with UM going 8–2 in the ones video games.
Off the bench for UM: G/F Ellis caught
Barnes Eriko stored his bench brief in Baton Rouge on Friday, conserving 4 of his starters at the courtroom for a minimum of 32 mins. The one exception used to be ahead Cameron Williams, who performed just below 16 mins. The filling caught to him, who logged in simply 22 mins. It used to be a certain building up in mins for the 6-foot-1 junior from Charlevoix, who averaged 9.7 mins a sport coming into the NCAA event. He scored simply two issues (one box purpose try, one make) however crammed up the stat sheet in different ways, with seven rebounds, one help, one thieve and 3 blocks. The Wolverines would possibly not have the scale benefit towards LSU—the Tigers have 5 forwards indexed at 6-2 or upper; The Wolverines have six such forwards, however best two (Williams and Emily Kiser) log critical mins—that that they had towards UNLV, however they are going to want each and every succesful minute they are able to get within the paint.
LSU’s celebrity: F Angel Reese
A part of the explanation, in fact, is Reese, who made the AP’s All-The us workforce for the second one directly season. The 6-3 sophomore averaged a double-double (17.8 issues, 10.6 rebounds) closing season at Maryland, however did not do a lot injury in his first two seasons towards the Wolverines, scoring seven issues in 3 video games as a Terp. and averaged 7.3 rebounds. This season, he posted a double-double in 29 of his 31 video games, together with the Tigers’ Friday win over Hawaii (34 issues, 15 rebounds). (The one fighters to forestall him from reaching a double-double: No. 1 South Carolina, who held him to 16 issues and 4 rebounds on February 12, and Georgia, which held him to fifteen issues and 6 rebounds on March 3.) This season, Reese is averaging 23.7 issues and 15.5 rebounds, capturing 54.5% on all 2-pointers.
(Possibly Michigan can persuade Reese to take a look at some 3s; he is simply 1-for-6 from past the arc this season.) So what enticed him to Bayou? Seafood, it seems that. (Consider, she’s from Maryland.) As she informed WSLAM mag, her reputable shuttle to Baton Rouge featured an intense seafood unfold: “We went to Trainer’s space and we had seafood. … I am speaking about crab legs, oysters, shrimp, crawfish,” Reese mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘Oh, I may just get used to this.’ ,
Off the bench for LSU: F Samiah Smith
Mulkey has toughened up his upperclassmen, with Reese and 3 seniors all averaging higher than 23 mins according to sport. In a similar way, Flauze Johnson, the SEC Freshman of the Yr, averaged 26.7 mins according to sport; It does not go away a lot time for any individual else. Just one different LSU participant, junior Katery Poole, averaged over 16 mins.
Smith used to be ready to obtain the SEC All-Freshman nod, in spite of best averaging 15.8 mins coming into the event. In spite of the restricted enjoying time, the 6-2 Texan averaged 5.1 issues, 44 rebounds and 1.2 blocks according to sport this season. Even if she’s no longer scoring, she will trade the drift of the sport: Simply ask Texas A&M and Kentucky, which scored her two issues in again to again video games, best seven blended. To give up the blocks. Or South Carolina, which noticed its paint look in actual time closing month.
Ryan Ford Predictions
The Wolverines have flourished towards smaller and no more gifted groups this season, however towards the cream of the crop, U-M’s offense has frequently fallen chilly. Be expecting the similar towards the host Tigers, with Reese dominating within. select up the: LSU 74, UM 52.
reside updates
Do not see updates? refresh the web page or see it on twitter,