Well, LSU didn't impress either of its two games. South Carolina, a team with a very similar profile throughout the season, did impress. Penn State and Purdue, who also have similar profiles, were their respective opponents, and LSU was playing at home. What happened?
Tough to say, but LSU didn't seem that well-prepared. They were down for much of the SDSU game before their superior athleticism prevailed, and then they gave up their highest point total of the season, largely as a result of lousy perimeter defense (and it's not a surprise that PSU has some kids that can shoot). Firstly, kudos to Penn State for being a mentally tougher team than their conference mates. However, I have to question Nikki Caldwell a bit. She was a hot coaching name because a) she IS hot, and b) she did some nice things at UCLA, none of which involved winning in the postseason. Could it be that Nikki just isn't a good tourney coach at this stage of her career? Alternatively, as a (very involved) father of a four year old and a two year old, I remember clearly what it was like to have a newborn. Suffice it to say I did not perform at anything close to my highest level professionally when I returned to work. I admire the effort, but it may have ultimately impacted her coaching. It would have in my case, and I wasn't the one breast feeding.
