Lady Tigers picked to finish sixth in SEC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The LSU women’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference for the upcoming season in a vote of select Southeastern Conference and national media members on Tuesday.

Kentucky topped the order of finish with 376 points, followed by Georgia (352), Vanderbilt (336), Tennessee (316), Texas A&M (284), LSU (251) and South Carolina (194).

Arkansas (168), Florida (144), Auburn (124), Mississippi State (116), Ole Miss (47), Missouri (39) and Alabama (36) rounded out the bottom half.

The Lady Tigers, who finished in a fourth-place tie last season, return six letterwinners and three starters from a squad that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. LSU is coming off a 23-11 campaign and a 10-6 mark in conference play in coach Nikki Caldwell’s first season. Caldwell became just the second coach in SEC history to lead a team to the SEC tournament championship game in her first season.

The release of the SEC media preseason poll helps tip off SEC Basketball Media Days to be held Thursday at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala.

Caldwell will join LSU men’s coach Johnny Jones from 1-3 p.m. Thursday.

The SEC women’s basketball coaches poll will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

The Lady Tigers host Xavier of Louisiana in a free admission exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center. The season officially begins against Wichita State on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. in the PMAC.

Season tickets for the 2012-13 LSU women’s season are now on sale at www.LSUtix.net. Mini-ticket plans are also available.