Watch out for LSU.

Two years removed from winning the first women's basketball national title in program history, the Tigers proved why they're a legitimate contender to secure a second this season following a dominant Round of 32 win over Regional 1 - Spokane No. 6 seed Florida State (24-9).

No. 3 seed LSU (30-5) won 101-71, breaking the game open by outscoring the Seminoles 31-6 in the third quarter. At halftime, the Tigers led 50-49.

LSU's ball movement was sensational. Following a Florida State third-quarter turnover, backup guard Shayeann Day-Wilson pushed the ball up-court with an excellent pass to sophomore forward Sa'Myah Smith. Smith dished to an open sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams, who drained a three that gave the Tigers a 64-53 lead.

Moments later, junior forward Flau'Jae Johnson drove the baseline and found senior forward Aneesah Morrow open under the basket, and she scored a bucket off the glass to re-establish LSU's 11-point advantage.

LSU ended the game with 29 assists, its most in a game since 2008 and tied for the fourth-most in program history. (h/t Stathead)

The Tigers shot 56.2 percent and became the first team since 1999-2000 UConn with multiple 100-point games in a single women's NCAA Tournament following a 103-48 win over No. 14 San Diego State on Saturday.

After Monday's game, head coach Kim Mulkey credited the team's athleticism, led by three first-team All-SEC members, including Johnson, Morrow and Williams.

The four-time NCAA champion coach also praised LSU's bench, singling out freshman guard Jada Richard, who only played nine minutes but scored six points, and the team's point guards, Wilson and Last-Tear Poa.

"You can not win in any sport without a quarterback," Mulkey said. She added her simple request for her lead guards, saying, "All they gotta do is run the show."

When LSU won the national title in 2023, guard Alexis Morris played a pivotal role as the team's primary ball-handler and second-leading scorer.

The Tigers are hitting their stride, which should scare the rest of the tournament field, including their next opponent, No. 2 NC State (28-6).

LSU has star power, depth and outstanding facilitators, all things that are vital to winning a national championship.

After the first two rounds, it shouldn't surprise anyone if the Tigers were the last team standing.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans