Many billed the Elite Eight showdown between LSU and Iowa as the most highly anticipated matchup in the history of women’s college basketball.
However, before the opening tip-off was even in the air, things took a bizarre turn when LSU’s team exited the court for the national anthem.
As you can see, Iowa’s players held hands while the song played. It’s quite a surprising gesture by the Tigers, especially because there’s no discernible reason as to why they did this.
According to local Baton Rouge sports reporter and LSU alum Chessa Bouche, this is apparently status quo.
Maybe the massive spotlight for this game is the only reason it’s causing such a stir, but it sure seems like an odd move for LSU to pull. Then again, the Tigers are the defending national champions, so if they had done this last season, surely there would’ve been a noticeable reaction to it.
Can’t say I track the pregame behavior of LSU women’s basketball enough to know what exactly is going on here, but I can say that this same national anthem no-show happened in last year’s LSU-Iowa national championship game at the very least. Finding out why that happened has proven elusive.
At least the game itself is living up to the hype so far, with a 45-all tie at halftime. Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark already has 19 points and five assists, while Tigers star Angel Reese has 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Perhaps once this contest is decided, we’ll get a clear answer as to why LSU opts out of the national anthem. Tigers coach Kim Mulkey might want to buckle up for another potential hit piece, even if she was simply just getting a little extra time with her players before a huge game or something.
Above all else, I just hope this supposed typical behavior from LSU doesn’t overshadow what should be a positive, watershed moment for women’s basketball.
But… is has commanded a lot of the conversation so far:
