What to know about LSU women's basketball during March Madness

The big picture: A record number of viewers watched LSU beat Iowa 102-85 to win the NCAA women's basketball national championship last year, per ESPN.

• And the records keep rolling in.
• In January, more viewers tuned in to watch LSU play South Carolina than the NBA game that was on at the same time, according to Sports Media Watch.
• Then, when LSU played South Carolina again for the SEC Championship, the game set an ESPN record for the conference.

Meanwhile: LSU stars like Angel Reese and Flau'Jae Johnson have been cashing in on the action, too.

• Reese's name, image and likeness deals qualify her as the No. 8 best-paid college sports star, according On3's valuation. Johnson follows at No. 18.

Catch up quick: Now, the Tigers are seeded at No. 3 for the third time in a row as March Madness returns.

• They'll host No.14-seeded Rice at the PMAC on Friday at 3pm CT. You can watch the game on ESPN.

State of play: Some things have changed for the Tigers since last year's championship win.

• That victory helped power the team during the offseason to bring in some top-ranked fresh talent, including DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow, Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith and Mikaylah Williams, who was since named SEC Freshman of the Year.
• It took a little time for the team to find its rhythm with the new blood, but LSU closed out its regular season with an eight-game winning streak before its SEC Championship loss.

• Plus, the Tigers have averaged 86.7 points per game this season, behind only Iowa with 92.8.

What's next: No. 6-seed Louisville and No. 11-seed Middle Tennessee are also in Baton Rouge to play at the PMAC.

• The winner of that game will play the winner of LSU's game against Rice to move forward in the tournament and play in the Albany 2 Regional Sweet 16.

Go deeper:

• See the full NCAA women's basketball bracket.
• Angel Reese to co-star in an NIL docuseries on Amazon Prime.