• By GARY LANEY
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 19, 2009

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Storm Warren has been to New York City before.

“I went to New York before with AAU,” Warren recalled. “I’ve never been to the (Madison Square) Garden before to play. That’s what I’m looking forward to just to see what the environment is like.”

Warren has himself to thank as a big reason why he’ll be back in New York — under the Garden lights — next week.

The LSU sophomore power forward averaged 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the first two rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament, leading the Tigers to wins over Indiana State and Western Kentucky to propel the Tigers to the final four, which will be played Wednesday and Friday at Madison Square Garden.

LSU opens at 6 p.m. Wednesday against No. 12 Connecticut, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, in the first semifinal. No. 9 Duke, the tournament’s top seed plays No. 4 seed Arizona State in the other.

The championship and consolation games will be Friday. All the games will be on ESPN2 except the championship game, which is 5 p.m. Friday on ESPN.

LSU is the No. 3 seed. The Tigers beat the No. 5 seed, Western Kentucky, 71-60 Tuesday, making the Hilltoppers the highest-seeded team to lose so far in the tournament.

Many may consider LSU’s run to New York, and it’s 3-0 start in general, a mild surprise.

The Tigers have two starters back from its SEC championship team from a year ago that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. LSU lost six lettermen off that team. Western Kentucky had four starters back from its Sun Belt Conference championship team that also advanced to the NCAA tournament’s second round a year after the Hilltoppers reached the Sweet 16.

WKU coach Ken McDonald left Baton Rouge thinking the best team didn’t advance.

“We should be going to New York,” he said after the game. “I felt like we were the best team in this pod, and I don’t back down from that.

“LSU outplayed us in the last four minutes. We had a two-point lead with a little over four minutes left and we lost by 11.”

A big reason why LSU has exceeded expectations early has been the play of Warren, who will go to New York with a double-doubles in each of the Tigers’ three games.