Lady Tigers face No. 25 Xavier tonight

• By SCOTT HOTARD
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 26, 2008 - UPDATED: 7:03 a.m.

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Even before LSU’s opener against Notre Dame tipped off, women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor sensed trouble.

It wasn’t only the list of names on a roster with seven freshmen. Or a starting lineup with two.

The youngsters were acting funny. They wore their nerves like their jerseys.

“We were just scared to death,” Chancellor recalled. “It was almost like the person opening up on Broadway that forgets their lines.”

Since the 63-52 loss to the touted Fighting Irish on ESPN2, the Lady Tigers have had 11 days to regroup. They’ve picked up a win, shuffled their lineup and tweaked their motion offense.

After a 63-47 victory over Tulane on Monday, LSU (1-1) welcomes No. 25 Xavier (Ohio) to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Lady Tigers, who have never lost two November home games in the same season, will have to know their lines — or else.

“We’re playing one of the best-kept secrets in America,” Chancellor said. “We’re playing a team that nobody knows —none of our fans know — but they’re a team I think is better than Notre Dame. I really do. I’m not just saying that because it’s our next game.”

The Musketeers (2-2) have won back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships. They feature one of the more celebrated post players in the nation. In their only losses, they’ve played No. 2 North Carolina and No. 7 Louisville tough, leading at the half of each game. The Tar Heels won 73-67 in Chapel Hill and the Cardinals 65-55 in Cincinnati.

Who knows what kind of threat Xavier would pose if Amber Harris, a 6-foot-5 forward who averaged 15.3 points and 8.9 rebounds as a sophomore, had not suffered a knee injury last month, likely crushing her season.

Even so, the Musketeers aren’t short on talent — or experience.

They had the youngest lineup of any team in the NCAA Tournament last year, with one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen.