LSU’s Aneesah Morrow and Flau’Jae Johnson foreshadow strong returns in their March Madness opener

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow giggled at the buzzing noise coming from their bulky, black compression shoes as they sat down to answer questions about their health heading into the Tigers’ opening game in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Earlier this week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey said her two star players would be “good to go” when March Madness began. Morrow and Johnson echoed that assessment on Friday.

Any lingering uncertainty about their conditioning or rustiness will be answered more definitively on Saturday night, when LSU (28-5), the No. 3 seed in the Spokane 1 region, hosts 14th seed an Diego State (25-9).

“If you get on that court ... you’re not hurt. You know what I’m saying?” Johnson said. “You get on that court and tell coach you’re good to go, then there’s no excuse. You’ve got to be good to go.”

The LSU-SDSU clash is the late game in Baton Rouge, where first-round action begins with No. 6 seed Florida State (23-8) facing 11th seed George Mason (27-5).

Johnson’s and Morrow’s compression shoes represented an upgrade from the walking boots they wore during an NCAA Tournament selection show watch party last Sunday night.

“I would say honestly a lot of people see me in a boot, and I go out and I get a double-double,” Morrow said, evoking laughter from her teammates. “We know how much time we spend getting treatment. ... So, I guess it will just show on the floor.”

Johnson, who has averaged 18.9 points per game this season (and who frequently appears in television commercials during March Madness), missed the Southeastern Conference tournament with a right shin injury.

Morrow, who averaged 18.5 points and 13.6 rebounds — and led the nation with 27 double-doubles this season — left LSU’s SEC tournament semifinal loss to Texas on March 9 with an injured left foot.

Mulkey said both probably could have played through pain, but she didn’t see the point when LSU’s position as a top-four regional seed was virtually assured.

“You have to evaluate as a coach: Can they injure themselves if they continue to play hurt, and then we not have them for the most important part of our season?” Mulkey said.

During a portion of practice open to media Friday, Johnson received the ball while running across the top of the key in five-on-five drills, cut sharply down the lane, soared toward the hoop and sank a floating scoop shot off the glass.

Morrow posted up forcefully at times and also set sturdy screens before rolling toward the basket, receiving a pass and finishing with a layup.

“Both of them have had some days to rehab and start feeling better,” Mulkey added. “So, it doesn’t seem to be limitations on how long they can play or anything like that.”

San Diego State coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said the Aztecs, who have won eight straight, are preparing for LSU “to be full strength, but they’re pretty deep, too.”

“We haven’t trained or scouted any differently,” added Terry-Hutson, who was an assistant at LSU under then-coach Nikki Fargas in 2012, when San Diego State last played in the NCAA Tournament — losing to the Tigers in Baton Rouge.

“If we can stay connected in that environment, no matter who is on the floor, I think we give ourselves a good chance,” she said.

Points aplenty

Florida State features the nation’s top-scoring offense, and top-scoring player in guard Ta’Niya Latson.

The Seminoles have averaged 87.2 point per game, led by Latson’s 24.9.

“We play fast and we play hard and we attack,” Latson said. “I feel like that plays hand in hand to how I play.

“We all have the green light to be ourselves,” she added. “That’s what makes our team so special.”

Maiden March Madness

George Mason is making its first appearance in a women’s NCAA Tournament, qualifying by virtue of its Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title.

The Seminoles, by contrast, are in their 23rd NCAA Tournament — including their 12th straight and 19th in the past 20.

There also is a considerable gap in March Madness exposure between host LSU and San Diego State.

The Tigers are in their 30th tournament and have five players on the roster who were on LSU’s 2023 national title team. The Aztecs have been to 10 NCAA Tournaments, but none since 2012.

Unlike her program, George Mason coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis does have some March Madness experience, having coached Bethune-Cookman to its first NCAA Tournament in 2019.

She recalled her incredulous response when reporters asked her then how her team could beat Notre Dame.

“I calmly said, ‘Let’s stop asking that question. They have 10 McDonald’s All-Americans.’ ... We had 10 kids that liked to eat at McDonald’s,” she said.

The Fighting Irish won, 92-50. Blair-Lewis expects her current squad to be more competitive.

“The team we brought here is a team that, yeah, they might like to eat at McDonald’s, but they like to play basketball, too,” she said. “And they believe big enough that they can be on this stage and they can win.”

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