6 p.m. -- Regional atmosphere

LSU and Southern Miss are minutes away from starting the winners-bracket game of the regional at Alex Box Stadium. I can see a lot of sunflower-gold shirts, and I can see Southern Miss shirts that are slightly more yellow. At times you have to look closely to know if it's an LSU fan or a USM fan, because some versions of the "gold" are almost identical.

The place is quickly filling up, and I suspect we'll have people sitting in the aisles before the night is over.

I expect the atmosphere tonight to be unlike anything the Tigers have experienced. Michael Hollander is the only member of the team who played in the 2005 regional, the most recent one here before this weekend, and there was nothing like this 21-game winning streak to create the extra layer of excitement that's a part of this season.

Tonight is an example of why you want to be the home team for a regional. Tonight is when an LSU crowd can make a difference, start a rally, lift a team, bury an opponent and make a skeptic believe in the magic of The Box.

The crowd has far more regional experience than these Tigers. LSU players and coaches are counting on the crowd to show it.

They're about to get the game going. Time to stand for the national anthem. I'll post updates as often as I can get them to you.

6:03 update: Chris and the gang have got them going. The cheers have started, even though the game hasn't.

Play ball.