LSU And Duke Run It Back With Higher Stakes

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

LSU and Duke will meet for the second time this season in the Sweet 16 on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (9 p.m., ESPN), after the Tigers’ 93-77 win in Durham in early December.

But this matchup carries far more weight than the first. The stakes are higher, the lights are brighter and every possession matters – the kind of stage where elite teams separate themselves.

Kim Mulkey’s reaction to Duke being revealed as the No. 3 seed in their regional.

The Tigers beat the Blue Devils 93-77 early in December. #LSU pic.twitter.com/LLXlSx93em

— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) March 16, 2026

LSU (29-5, 12-4 Southeastern Conference) is aiming for its fourth consecutive Elite Eight appearance. To get there, though, the Tigers will have to get past a much-improved Duke team.

“It’s hard to beat people twice,” head coach Kim Mulkey said after LSU’s win against Texas Tech. “They’re better, I’m sure, and I think we’re better.”

In the December meeting, LSU struggled out of the gate, falling behind 14-1 in the opening minutes. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley helped swing the momentum, scoring eight first-quarter points to cut the deficit to 24-20 by the end of the period.

A similar slow start won’t cut it this time. LSU assistant coach Joe Schwartz said the Tigers must do a better job controlling the game early.

“We didn’t start great,” Schwartz said on Tiger Rag Radio on Tuesday. “We got down 17-4 and we turned the ball over a lot. We weren’t taking good shots to start the game. So, I think a lot of that’s keeping our composure. And you’ve got to know that Duke’s going to be extremely motivated. I think Duke thinks they let one slip away. And with a slow start in a Sweet 16 game, you don’t want to give a team the opportunity to put you away early.”

LSU’s Title Push “Starts With Defense,” Says Assistant Coach Joe Schwartz

LSU knows the importance of fast starts. The Tigers opened both of their NCAA Tournament games with 10-0 runs.

Duke (26-8, 16-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), meanwhile, enters Friday with one of the nation’s top defenses. Since allowing LSU to score 93 points on 60% shooting, the Blue Devils have held opponents to just 55.7 points per game and look like a different team than they did in December.

That makes ball security and rebounding critical. LSU turned the ball over 18 times in the first matchup, leading to 23 Duke points. The Tigers will also need to control the glass, where they have a size advantage.

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Schwartz said those factors, along with being the aggressor, will ultimately decide the game.

“It’s rebounding, it’s taking care of the ball, limiting their second chance shot opportunities and their second chance points, and then like we always talk about getting to the foul line,” Schwartz said. “I think we’re deep. We’ve got a deep bench and we’ve got kids that can go, and if we get into their bench, I think we’re going to like the outcome of the game, but we’ve got to be aggressive. We can’t be passive.”

Duke is led by Toby Fournier, a 6-2 sophomore forward averaging 17.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Fournier scored 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting in the earlier matchup against LSU, but she was limited to just three rebounds.

Winning the battle inside, especially containing Fournier, will be a major point of emphasis for LSU on Friday as it looks to advance to its fourth consecutive Elite Eight.