What do the LSU Lady Tigers and LA-Layfayette Ragin Cajuns have in common? Both are skippered by first year coaches with Mississippi State as their last stop in the NCAA. LSU's Van Chancellor was the Bulldogs longtime head coach before departing to the WNBA. For the Ragin’ Cajuns, Errol Rogers spent the last four years on the Mississippi bench as an assistant before returning to his alma mater this spring in his first Division I head coaching position. That will probably be where the similarities end.
I expect LSU's in-state Sun Belt Conference rival to be overwhelmed by the SEC powerhouse. The Cajuns have been dominated by LSU who have won 15 consecutive meetings between these two teams in the Maravich Center.
The Lady Tigers will be led by their pre-season All-American Sylvia Fowles and team scoring leader Quianna Chaney. Expect LSU to hit the boards as they were outrebounded 50-34 in their last outing, a loss to the Maryland Terrapins in the Preseason Women’s Invitation Tournament championship game.
Junior guard Whitney Dunlap will lead the Lady Cajuns in a personal homecoming. She played high school basketball at Bishop Sullivan High in Baton Rouge. She is joined by four senior starters including senior forward Sorora Edwards who is the team's leading scorer. LA-Layfayette will need to take care of the basketball againt a tough LSU defense. Turnovers were costly for them in their last game, a loss at Ole Miss.
The Tigers definetely want this game in front of the home crowd, it is the last one they will see for a while. They do not return to the Maravich Center until Dec. 30 when they host New Orleans.
LADY TIGERS’ PROBABLE STARTERS
G 5 Erica White 3.3 ppg 0.3 rpg 3.7 apg G 12 RaShonta LeBlanc 6.8 ppg 6.0 rpg 3.8 spg G 15 Quianna Chaney 19.0 ppg 2.5 rpg 4.0 apg F 54 Ashley Thomas 3.3 ppg 3.8 rpg 1.8 apg C 34 Sylvia Fowles 18.8 ppg 8.8 rpg 2.3 spg
RAGIN CAJUNS’ PROBABLE STARTERS
G 5 Whitney Dunlap 12.7 ppg 3.0 rpg 5.3 apg G 15 Onna Charles 9.7 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.0 spg G 21 Alicia McDaniel 9.7 ppg 6.7 rpg 4.7 rpg F 20 Sorora Edwards 13.0 ppg 7.0 rpg 1.7 spg C 50 Kina Miller 3.7 ppg 3.3 rpg 2.0 bpg