A trio of seven-inning games brings us down to this: LSU vs. Vanderbilt, No. 1 vs. No 8.
Vanderbilt rolled past Arkansas, 11-1, finishing off a perfect run through its first three games in the tournament. This for a team that came in as the No. 8 seed, on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and expected to find the door quickly. For the second time in as many years, the eight seed makes the championship game.
For LSU, this is where they expected to be coming into the tournament, a chance to claim the tournament title and make people forget that they split the regular season crown with Ole Miss. If you win in the season and you win in the tournament, you get to write whatever history you want. The Bengals blasted Georgia 16-0 in the first game and then relied on pitching to edge the Dawgs 3-2 in the nightcap.
A final note: This game is a rematch. Remember that this most unpredictable and exciting tournament began with the top four seeds all losing, including Vanderbilts's 4-1 win against LSU. The Bengals hope history is kinder to them this time.
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt, 1 p.m. ET, secsports.com (Live), FSN (tape delay, 4 p.m. ET), XM 199
Severe weather moves the game up, though it makes no difference to those watching on television. In tournaments like this, you go who's played the fewest games and what would fit the theme. The unpredictable happens again. C&F's pick: Vanderbilt