Marquee matchup: Florida State’s Latson and LSU’s Johnson cross paths in March Madness

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — There might not be a better marquee matchup in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament than Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson against LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson.

“They’re two of the most highly competitive people in the game,” Florida State coach Brooke Wyckoff said Sunday. “They’re two players that neither are going to back down.”

The two star guards and their teams meet Monday night with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Latson is the nation’s leader in points per game, averaging 25 after scoring 28 on Saturday night to lead the sixth-seeded Seminoles (24-8) to a 94-59 first-round victory over George Mason.

“What you have to do is try your best to contain her where she doesn’t hit 50 on you,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said.

Johnson is one of the most marketable players in her sport, appearing during seemingly every other commercial break for women’s and men’s March Madness telecasts. She led the No. 3 seed Tigers (29-5) with 22 points during their 103-48 first-round dismantling of San Diego State.

“She’s a phenomenal player,” said Latson, a Miami native who’s known and played against Johnson — of Savannah, Georgia — since the two were in high school.

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“Me and Flau’Jae go way back,” Latson said, noting that she and the 5-foot-10 Johnson also have trained together. “She’s grown. She’s stronger now. She’s bigger now. She can shoot the ball.

“She’s always great to play against. She’s a good person, too,” Latson continued. “I’m going to enjoy playing against Flau’Jae and LSU.”

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams said defending Latson would be “a group effort.”

But Mulkey doesn’t want Tigers defenders collapsing on the 5-8 Latson, either.

“You converge on her, and then she throws it to somebody else and makes them look great,” Mulkey said, adding that Latson also is adept at drawing contact and getting opposing defenders in foul trouble.

“It’s not just scoring,” Mulkey said. “She gets shots off. She leans into you and tries to draw fouls. So we’ll have multiple people that have the assignment to guard her.”

Great expectations

After Florida State and LSU combined to score 195 points in their opening-round victories, oddsmakers have placed the over-under for their second-round clash at about 170 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

“I would expect you’re going to see a lot of scoring, and hopefully the team that plays just a little bit of defense wins because I’m a defensive coach,” Mulkey said.

Each team boasts its own version of a “big three.”

Johnson plays alongside two fellow All-Southeastern Conference first-teamers in Aneesah Morrow (averaging 18.5 points) and Mikaylah Williams (17.7 points).

Latson is flanked by 6-foot-2 center Makayla Timpson (17.6 points) and guard O’Mariah Gordon (16.2 points).

High-scoring games are “what we prefer,” Timpson said. “We play fast. We don’t really know how to play slow. We just get out and run.”

LSU also is adept in transition, but Johnson hedged when asked about the prospects of a “track meet,” even though she loves to lead fast breaks.

“We want to slow down. We want to run our offense. We want to reverse the ball. We want to get everybody touches. So, it shouldn’t be a track meet,” Johnson said. “We should be pushing in transition for sure, but I think we want to play more composed and move the ball more.”

Added Williams: “We can pick the pace up or slow it down whenever we want to.”

Paint production

Mulkey said that while 6-2 forward Sa’Myah Smith could be the primary defender against Timpson, she could also move Morrow into that role if LSU goes with a smaller lineup.

Although the 6-1 Morrow is a bit undersized for a post player, she leads the nation in double-doubles with 28 after scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds during the first round.

“You see the hunger. You see just the passion” in Morrow’s play, Wyckoff said. “It’s really fun to watch and to see what she’s able to do.”

Timpson’s 18 points and 11 rebounds against George Mason gave her a team-high 19 double-doubles this season.

Mulkey said LSU’s paint players “are going to have their hands full (Monday) because Timpson can get up and down the floor. She’s an athlete.”

Next question

Mulkey drew a few laughs when she shot down one reporter’s question about whether LSU had any keys to victory.

“We do, but you’re from Tallahassee,” she said. “I don’t want Florida State to know. Nice try.”

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