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by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com

For both LSU and Tennessee, the journey to tonight’s National Championship semifinal began one year ago. For the Lady Vols, April of 2007 saw them bring their seventh NCAA trophy back to Rocky Top, and the team made a commitment to not allow another nine years to elapse before they were hoisting more hardware aloft. With the core of that championship team returning, the women in orange knew that with a lot of hard work and a continued commitment to excellence, they could duplicate the feats of USC, Connecticut and their own predecessors at UT by becoming back-to-back NCAA champions. Stumbling at times during a season they wish they could fast-forward through in order to get to their favorite time of the year – the post-season — the Lady Vols have put together a solid tournament run, both to an SEC Tournament championship and now into their 18th Final Four.

For LSU, April of 2007 brought its own brand of heartache. An immensely talented Lady Tiger team made their fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four, only to come up short for the fourth straight time, losing yet another semifinal game. With the cloud of controversy surrounding the abrupt departure of their charismatic coach in March 2007, and an unassuming assistant who would rather have not been thrust into the national media spotlight as he assumed the reins of the program, the pressure finally got to LSU, where they fell in the semifinals to Rutgers. But the nine juniors on that squad realized 2008 would be their final season together and their last chance to break through and win it all, so their commitment to make it to their fifth Final Four was solidified one year ago.

And now the moment is at hand: two teams with the same desire, on the same quest for greatness. For one team, their dream will end tonight. For the victor, their journey continues into the final game on Tuesday night. No matter who emerges the victor, an SEC team will be playing in the championship game for the 17th time in 37 years. This is the ninth time that two of the four teams in the Final Four have been from the SEC. By comparison, the Big East sent two teams in 2000 and 2001, and the ACC sent three teams in 2006.

Tonight’s game matches up the SEC’s two best teams. LSU is led by SEC Player of the Year and All-American Sylvia Fowles and is coached by SEC Coach of the Year Van Chancellor. UT is led by All-American and National Player of the Year Candace Parker and is coached by Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in basketball, who brings a 981-182 record into tonight’s matchup, her 18th Final Four. Van Chancellor has amassed a 470-159 record in 20 years at the collegiate level, and has collected another 211 wins in the professional ranks as coach of the WNBA’s Houston Comets, but tonight marks his debut at the Final Four.

This game should be a close one, if statistics are any indicator. In the two prior meetings between LSU and UT during the NCAAs, UT has emerged a victor both times by the slimmest of margins, coming away with a two-point win each time. LSU and Tennessee split a pair in their two meetings this season, with LSU falling behind 21-2 at Thompson-Boling on Feb. 14 before storming back for a 78-62 win, handing the Lady Vols their worst home loss since 1985. Less than three weeks later, the Lady Vols exacted their revenge, beating LSU 61-55 on March 9 to win the SEC Tournament.

My prediction is this game is going to be decided by 5 points or less. UT is back in the Final Four, where every Big Orange player feels they should be each spring. Parker is the undisputed leader of this team, but must have solid support from her teammates in light of her recent shoulder injury. They cannot rely on her too heavily, because the shoulder, which was dislocated twice in their Regional final win over Texas A&M, may be suspect. LSU has a lot to prove, but have been a more well-rounded team all year. Fowles is not their only weapon; White at the point, Quianna Chaney on the wing and RaShonta LeBlanc in the middle are all capable of breakout performances in support of the solid numbers Big Syl puts up every game. It may come down to destiny, and my gut instinct is this LSU squad is a team of destiny. LSU by 3.

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by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com

You can add North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell’s name to the growing list of coaches who are displeased with this year’s NCAA Tournament seedings. UNC, the #1 seed in the New Orleans regional, will face the #2 seed LSU Lady Tigers in New Orleans tonight, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Tampa next weekend. UNC (33-2, #2 AP, #2 Coaches/USA Today) will be vying for their third straight trip to the Final Four, while LSU (30-5, #6 AP, #5 Coaches/USA Today) is going for their fifth straight Final Four appearance. Hatchell, one of the winningest active coaches in the women’s game, said, “It’s a shame we have to play to go to the Final Four …I definitely feel like LSU should be a No. 1 seed. This game could easily be the caliber of game you’d see for a national championship. In fact, it could actually be better.” Hatchell won’t get any disagreement from her counterpart on the LSU bench, Hall of Famer and reigning SEC Coach of the Year Van Chancellor. In his usual plain-spoken down-home manner, Chancellor said he’d feel like “someone (on the selection committee) didn’t like me” if the roles were reversed and his team had a #1 seed but had to play the Tar Heels in North Carolina to make it through to the Final Four. Seems like there are more than a few grumblings around the country with the way this year’s pairings were seeded. Are you listening, C. Viv?

Tonight’s game will also most likely see one of these two teams tumble from the top of the NCAA heap in one of the statistical categories each team leads. UNC leads the nation in points scored per game, averaging 87.9, whereas LSU is #1 in scoring defense, allowing just 50.6 points per game. Additionally, LSU is tops in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, at +1.4, and North Carolina leads the nation in blocked shots per game, averaging 7.1 per contest as a team.

LSU is led by SEC Player of the Year (both media and coaches’ poll) Sylvia Fowles, who was also named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Big Syl is one of the most fluid big players to ever play the game. At 6-6, she moves extremely well with or without the ball, and gets it done at both ends of the court, averaging 17.2 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game. In addition to connecting on 59.9% of her shots from the field (which is good enough for 6th in the nation), Fowles alters untold number of shots inside. In fact, more than one opposing coach has said their entire game plan had to be altered to counter Big Syl’s presence in the paint. Lest anyone think LSU is a one-woman show, one need look no further than Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup with Oklahoma State. With Fowles triple- and quadruple-teamed at times, scoring only 11 points, three other Tigers stepped up and scored in double figures, with point guard Erica White leading the way and putting the final nails in the Cowgirls’ coffin. LSU has won 20 of their last 22 games. There is no denying the team chemistry on this Lady Tiger squad, with eight seniors making their final Final Four push.

The UNC Tarheels are no slouch when it comes to a balanced attack, with five players averaging in double figures in scoring. Coach Sylvia Hatchell says, “The best thing about us is our balance.“ UNC is riding an impressive win streak of their own, having won 24 of their past 25 games. Additionally, UNC went 14-0 in the ACC, the first time they have gone undefeated in conference play. The Tarheels are 3-2 all-time in regional final games. Oddly enough, this will only be the second time these teams have ever met, with the last matchup won by LSU back in 1986, in Hatchell’s second-ever game at UNC.

Probable starters for LSU:

G Erica White, 5-3 SR: 7.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg
G RaShonta LeBlanc, 5-7 SR: 6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg
G Quianna Chaney, 5-11 SR: 14.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg
F Ashley Thomas, 6-0 SR: 5.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 spg
C Sylvia Fowles, 6-6 SR: 17.1 ppg, 10 rpg, 59.9% FG

Probable starters for UNC:

G Cetera DeGraffenreid, 5-6 FR: 11.8 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.34 spg
G Heather Claytor, 5-8 JR: 5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.17 spg
F Rashanda McCants, 6-1 JR: 15.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.17 spg
F Erlana Larkins, 6-1 SR: 13.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.1 apg
C LaToya Pringle, 6-3 SR: 14.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.69 bpg

My prediction is this one is too close to call. This may truly be the best matchup of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Too bad this isn’t a Final Four championship game. The deciding factors may come down to intangibles: eight seniors wanting to keep their streak of five alive, and how much a factor the purple-and-gold-clad crowd will play. But sadly, the officials may play a large part in the outcome of this one. Will they allow Larkins to body-bang on Big Syl in the paint the way they have allowed her to play all season, or will it be a game of ticky-tack fouls? All I ask for - nay, BEG for - is some consistency from the zebras on both ends of the court.

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