Hello from Ally at the NCAA's

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8 p.m. ET Friday, March 19
Hello Lady Tiger Fans!!!
We are reporting live from Durham, North Carolina where we start the first round of the NCAA tournament. So far we have taken a big plane and gotten to travel with the band and the cheerleaders. It was a very smooth flight until we almost landed and then all of the sudden we shot up like a rocket! Come to find out we had to wait for Vice President Joe Biden to take off safely. I don't know about the rest of the team but Joe had me scared, I think he could have waited until we landed so we could meet him and he could meet us, but I understand security is tight! We landed safely and went straight to dinner for a nice meal and a little dessert at that. After that we went straight to the Hilton hotel where they welcomed us with open arms and a lot of purple and gold. This morning we had practice on Duke's home floor, it was very small but I like it! We had a short practice and got a lot done. I liked that we had a lot of energy and effort in practice and overall I thought we had a good solid practice before we play a very good Harford team tomorrow morning. The rest of the day we will have study hall, dinner, film, and sleep to prepare and get ready for tomorrow's game. Until next time GEAUX TIGERS!

Filed under  //  NCAA Tournament   Player's Post  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Duke football coach visits with the Lady Tigers

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VAN CHANCELLOR (3-19-10)
Had a great treat for our team today by inviting a dear friend of mine to come by and say hello. I've known David Cutcliffe from my Ole Miss days when he did a wonderful job of directing the Rebels football program. He's now the head football coach at Duke and doing a tremendous job battling in the ACC. He took the time out to come by and meet our team and tell them about our friendship that he was a big fan of Lady Tiger Basketball. I'm really proud to have David as a friend and glad I had the opportunity for him and our team to meet today.

Filed under  //  Media   NCAA Tournament   Off the Court   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers touchdown in North Carolina

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DURHAM, N.C. -- The 21st-ranked LSU Lady Tigers have arrived in Durham, N.C., in preparation for Saturday's 2010 NCAA Tournament First Round contest against No. 23 Hartford that tips at 11:06 a.m. CDT on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com in Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.


LSU players, coaches, support staff and members of the LSU Tiger Band and LSU cheerleaders boarded a charter plane at 3 p.m. CT Thursday in Baton Rouge. The Lady Tigers landed in Durham after a two-hour flight but not before circling above the airport while waiting for Vice President Joe Biden's plane to depart. LSU did not practice on Thursday.

 

Friday will be a busy schedule for LSU, who will put together its final preparations for its first NCAA Tournament first round game at a neutral site since 2007. LSU has played its two previous first rounds in Baton Rouge. Senior guard Allison Hightower, junior guard Katherine Graham and sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett are scheduled to take part in an ESPN shoot for footage that will be used during Saturday's broadcast.

 

Hightower, Barrett and head coach Van Chancellor then take part in a pre-tournament news conference with members of the media at 10:20 a.m. CDT. The 30-minute press conference leads up to LSU's open practice at 11 a.m. CDT in Cameron Indoor Stadium. It will be the Lady Tigers' first look at the facility.

 

LSU has never played a game at Duke. It is also the first time since 1986 the Lady Tigers have played a game in the state of North Carolina. That year, LSU played two games in the East Carolina Lady Pirate Classic in Greensville, N.C.

 

Friday afternoon calls for study hall for the players and a final evening film session on Hartford. LSU and Hartford are meeting for just the second time and the first since Dec. 4, 1992. The Lady Tigers are 3-0 all-time versus opponents from the America East Conference with the last meeting coming against Maine in the 2004 season-opener.

Filed under  //  NCAA Tournament  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers host the Fast Break Club in annual Selection Monday Spectacular

As had become a tradition for the past 13 years, the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team opened their NCAA selection party to our Fast Break Club. The 13th Annual Selection Monday Spectacular was held in the Lawton Room to a capactiy crowd. The evening always starts with food and camaraderie in which our team and FBC members get another chance to hang out and be with each other. We then move to the theater to watch the ESPN Selection Show live on the big screen and together we all learned we were a 7th seed and playing Hartford in Durham, North Carolina. The event is then followed by a press conference with Coach Chancellor and our players and set up by our SID Bill Martin. It is certainly one of the most exciting times of the year and we are thankful that so many of our supporters joined us.

Filed under  //  Fast Break Club   NCAA Tournament  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers to learn NCAA plans on "Selection Monday"

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BATON ROUGE -- After posting a 20-9 overall record and a winning record in Southeastern Conference play for the 12th straight season, a 12th consecutive trip to the “Big Dance” awaits the LSU women’s basketball team. The Lady Tigers will learn of their 2010 NCAA Tournament destination as a likely at-large selection at 6 p.m. CT Monday on ESPN’s “Selection Monday Special.”

LSU is vying for its 20th overall NCAA Tournament berth, and the Lady Tigers are 37-19 all-time in 19 previous appearances. A 12th straight trip would be the third longest streak in the SEC.

LSU has reached at least the second round of the tournament all 11 of those seasons. Five of them have ended at the Final Four. No school in America has reached more NCAA Division I Final Fours since 2004.

Last season, LSU defeated Green Bay in the first round before losing to eventual national championship game participant Louisville in the second round at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Lady Tigers have played their last two first and second rounds in Baton Rouge, but this season LSU will be on the road for the first time since heading to Austin, Texas, in 2007.

Eight pre-determined sites will host first and second round games on March 20 and 22 and they include: Stanford, Calif.; Berkeley, Calif.; Durham, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Louisville, Ky.; Seattle, Wash.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Tempe, Ariz. The eight other sites will host games on March 21 and 23 and they include: Ames, Iowa; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minn.; Norfolk, Va.; Norman, Okla.; Notre Dame, Ind.; and Pittsburgh, Penn.

Winners advance to the four regional sites to be played March 27-30 at either Memphis, Tenn.; Sacramento, Calif.; Dayton, Ohio; and Kansas City, Mo. The 2010 NCAA Final Four will be played on April 4 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.


NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special at a Glance
March 15, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN360.com; Extended coverage, 8 p.m. ESPNU

--Exclusive interview with NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee Chair Jane Meyer;

--Live interviews and reactions from coaches, including Connie Yori of Nebraska, one of only two undefeated teams in the country;

--Opening tease to the show: Darius Rucker’s “History in the Making.”

Selection Monday on ESPN.com
--Expert analysis from Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel, including their picks on the toughest region, best first-round game, Women’s Final Four and more;
--Predictions and analysis from women’s basketball bracketologist Charlie Creme, who will also take a look ahead at the worst- and best-case scenarios for all 64 teams;

--Live chat at 9:30 p.m. ET with NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Committee Chair Jane Meyer.

ESPNU Coaches Spotlight: Women’s Tournament Edition
The three-hour special ESPNU Coaches Spotlight: Women’s Tournament Edition on Tuesday, March 16, at 3 p.m. on ESPNU will attempt to interview 32 coaches and discuss other top stories. Beth Mowins and Cara Capuano will interview the coaches during the show, while Abby Waner will be the in-studio analyst. Lawson and Peck will join the show from Bristol.

Women’s Tournament Challenge on ESPN.com
Sign-up has begun on ESPN.com for the 14th annual ESPN Women’s Tournament Challenge. The Tournament Challenge game is free and allows contestants to submit up to 10 entries. Fans complete and submit a bracket of hypothetical tournament outcomes. Points are awarded for each correct pick, with point values increasing as the Tournament progresses.

The Women’s Tournament Challenge winner will receive 3,000 ESPN Winner’s Circle points, which are redeemable for prizes on the ESPN Winner’s Circle Web site. Entries for the Women’s Tournament Challenge will be accepted until just before tipoff of the first game Saturday, March 20.

Filed under  //  NCAA Tournament  
Posted by Bill Martin