Louisiana State tries to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season on Friday when it faces Santa Clara in the first round of the West Regional at the Coors Event Center.
The Lady Tigers have won their last four NCAA Tournament openers and have not failed to reach the second round since 1990. They begin the Tournament on the road for the second straight season after hosting the previous three subregionals.
Louisiana State (17-11) made an unexpected run at the Southeastern Conference championship, knocking off Tennessee in the tournament semifinals before losing to conference champion Vanderbilt.
The Lady Tigers' run was even more unlikely considering they have only seven healthy players. They lost forward DeTrina White and point guard Kisha James to season-ending injuries, which was just the start of their health problems.
No. 11 seed Santa Clara (21-9) makes its fifth NCAA Tournament but has not advanced past the first round since defeating California in 1992, its first NCAA Tournament game.
The Broncos have lost four of their last nine games, including an 81-77 loss to Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference tournament final.