NCAA Regional Morning Update

With a bright morning sun and temperature at freezing, the LSU Tigers awoke this morning to regional day in Columbus, Ohio. The Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus is the official meet hotel. Each of the teams has a fan presence inside the hotel which makes for a fun atmosphere.

LSU started the day with "Power Circle" - the Tigers' pre-meet ritual during which each competing gymnast performs a walk-though of their routine. Assistant Coach Philip Ogletree led Power Circle this morning as D-D Breaux and Bob Moore attended a NCAA meeting in the team hotel. The team seemed very loose and ready for the day ahead - a welcome sign after the travel adversity the Tigers experienced this week.

The official team lunch was next up on the agenda. It's same lunch that follows the Tigers wherever they travel - grilled chicken, rice and steamed vegetables. LSU will depart the team hotel at 2:45 pm Eastern Time and head directly to St. John Arena, which is about 15 minutes away. Open stretch begins at 3:45 pm Eastern and official warmups about 30 minutes after that.

St. John Arena is a venerable facility with Ohio State Big Ten Championship banners hanging high in the rafters from as far back as 1925. One of the portals inside the arena has an impressive photo of Jesse Owens, taken during his time as a Buckeye. Looking around the arena yesterday, the movie "Hoosiers" came to mind. With the wooden seats, high balconies and old banners, it's easy to picture Jimmy Chitwood coming into the game to run the picket fence. Yet, I digress.

Fans will literally sit on top of the action tonight. The seating areas slope steeply up to the balcony. The competition floor is tight but comfortable. One corner of the floor exercise is nearly inside a lower level portal.

It should make a for a great setting for the NCAA Central Regional this evening. Our broadcast starts at 5pm Central Time inside The Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net. I'll update the blog again prior to the start of the meet.