BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — We now know when the LSU women’s basketball team is going to the White House. The defending national champions will visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Friday, May 26.
The Tigers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes in the title game on Sunday, April 2. Almost 10 million people watched the LSU-Iowa matchup, which made it the most-watched women’s NCAA basketball game ever, according to ESPN.
LSU’s White House announcement comes on the heels of controversy after First Lady Jill Biden said she would be extending the visit to the Hawkeyes. Although the First Lady’s decision was short-lived and retracted 24 hours later, it sparked Louisiana leaders to speak out, claiming that the Tigers’ title appearance should be celebrated one-on-one.
Here’s what Congressman Troy Carter had to say about the initial decision:
“With no disrespect to the outstanding players from Iowa, they did not win. The exceptional Louisiana Tigers are the indisputable winners of the championship, and this win is theirs and theirs alone. An invitation to the Iowa team would be at the expense of our Louisiana athletes. I know the First Lady meant no harm by commenting that the University of Iowa should also be invited to the White House, but her remark was an unintentional slight to the ladies of LSU and the citizens of Louisiana. I am respectfully requesting that these Louisiana champions enjoy the winner’s circle alone.”
LSU finished the year with a 34-2 record after finishing with a 9-13 record in 2020-21. This will be the school’s fourth White House visit throughout its sports history.
According to lsusports.net, “Women’s basketball will become the fourth LSU sport to visit the White House in celebration of a national championship, joining baseball, football and track and field to visit the nation’s capital following a championship season.”
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