Hailey Van Lith made the move from Louisville to LSU ahead of her senior season and enjoyed a solid year with the Tigers in 2023-24.
LSU earned a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, pitting them up for a matchup against No. 14 Rice in the opening round. Should they take care of business in the first round, they’ll potentially be greeted by none other than the Cardinals during the round of 32.
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Louisville was also drawn into the “Albany 2” section of the women’s bracket as a No. 6 seed, and it is due to meet No. 11 Middle Tennessee in their opening-round tilt.
Upon the announcement of the potential matchup with her former squad, Van Lith looked totally taken aback before breaking into laughter. At the same time, Tigers coach Kim Mulkey and star forward Angel Reese began excitedly pointing in Van Lith’s direction.
Priceless!
Check out @LSUwbkb , @KimMulkey @haileyvanlith and @Reese10Angel reaction to @LouisvilleWBB being sent to Baton Rouge for the NCAA Tournament. #LSU pic.twitter.com/mnuamNbquR
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) March 18, 2024
Van Lith played three seasons for Louisville from 2020-23, featuring in 101 games for the program. During her junior season, she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists before entering the transfer portal.
Although it’s no guarantee that both the Cardinals and Tigers win their first-round matchups, the potential for a collision between the two teams in the second round of the tournament did not go unnoticed by Van Lith and company. It also could make for an intriguing matchup and one of the most enticing storylines early in the tournament.
