3 keys and a prediction for Michigan women’s basketball vs LSU

The Michigan women’s basketball team will be back in action in the Women’s NCAA tournament against LSU. Here are the keys and a prediction. 

On Friday, the Michigan women’s basketball team won their fifth straight opening game in the NCAA tournament. Now, the Wolverines are hoping to reach a third straight Sweet 16.

Standing in their way is a formidable foe — the LSU Tigers. Kim Mulkey and the Tigers are 29-2 this season and have one of the most talented rosters in women’s college hoops.

Angel Reese is a monster down low and she averages 23.7 points per game to go along with 15.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She averages nearly six offensive rebounds per game.

LSU is fourth in the country in scoring (83.7 ppg) and also 32nd when it comes to points allowed at just 57. Their point differential is over 26 points.

Frankly, I don’t know how LSU is a three-seed in this tournament. Michigan women’s basketball has its work cut out for it, but there are three keys and a prediction for the Wolverines.

Keep LSU off the offensive glass

This is much easier said than done, but LSU averages 17.4 offensive rebounds per game and if the Tigers get anything close to that, it’s hard to see Michigan women’s basketball winning the game.

The Tigers play a physical brand of basketball and they are ranked fourth in all of college basketball in total rebounds too. An amazing stat is that they rebound nearly half of their misses and that won’t fly for the Wolverines.

Emily Kiser and Michigan will need to be effective on the boards, especially on the defensive end.

The defense needs an exceptional game

Michigan is more of an offensive team, but the Wolverines aren’t going to advance unless they are effective on defense. That means making things difficult on Reese in the post, even though she is making 55 percent of her shots this season.

LSU ranks in the top 37 in each field-goal percentage category and part of it is the way the Tigers attack the paint and force defenses to adjust to Reese.

It’s going to lead to open looks and Michigan will have to live with that. What the Wolverines can’t do is get dominated for 40 minutes in the paint.

The offense needs to be lights out

Michigan women’s basketball is going to need to be lights out offensively. The Wolverines had three players combine for 54 points in the first round with Maddie Nolan, Emily Kiser, and Leigha Brown each scoring at least 16 points.

This time around, Laila Phelia needs to get more involved. She had some really good moments against UNLV and Michigan will need her ability to attack and score.

The Wolverines are going to have to score probably in the 80s to win this game and that means that both Brown and Phelia need to play as they were early in the season when this team was ranked in the top 10.

Michigan women’s basketball vs LSU prediction

I’m not counting out Michigan in this game. The Wolverines are an underrated sixth seed but their defense has hurt them in key spots and I just don’t see them being able to limit the Tigers enough in the paint or the offensive glass to win the game. LSU 83, Michigan 75.