The LSU women’s basketball team, which has advanced to five straight NCAA Final Fours, will open the 2008 season in a nationally televised game versus Notre Dame as the Lady Tigers play host to the State Farm Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU and Notre Dame play the opening game at 1:30 p.m. CST. Pittsburgh and Texas A&M follow in the second contest that tips at 4 p.m. The two games officially open the 2008 women’s college basketball season. Ticket information will be released at a later date.

“We are very excited to be in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, but even more excited to be hosting the event on our home floor,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “This is one of the premiere events of the season, and we are honored to be a part of it. There are three great institutions that will be joining us. We look forward to starting the season in the (State Farm) Tip-Off Classic.”

The State Farm Tip-Off Classic will be in its 16th-consecutive year of existence. Each year the Tip-Off Classic has featured some of nation’s elite coaches, players and teams with this November being no exception.

LSU is playing host to its first Tip-Off Classic, though, the Lady Tigers have played in the event twice. In 2005, LSU used a 32-point showing from All-American Seimone Augustus to defeat host Texas Tech, 76-68, in Lubbock. A year earlier, the Lady Tigers edged eventual national champion Baylor, 71-70, at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

LSU is 2-1 all-time against Notre Dame, and the Irish will be returning to Baton Rouge for the first time since the 1999 NCAA Tournament second round. In that contest, LSU’s LaTasha Dorsey poured in 24 points and Katrina Hibbert chipped in 15 points as the Lady Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 74-64 win.

The series began in 1992 when LSU defeated the Irish, 72-62, to close the regular season at the Assembly Center. The other meeting between the two took place in 1993 when Notre Dame handed the Lady Tigers an 82-80 loss in South Bend.

LSU returns four letterwinners from its 2008 Women's Final Four squad. Junior guard Allison Hightower is the team’s top returning scorer with a 7.1 average and four career starts. Forward Kristen Morris is the lone senior, and sophomore guards Katherine Graham and Latear Eason return in the backcourt. LSU welcomes three McDonald’s All-Americans to the program, including center Ayanna Dunning, forward LaSondra Barrett and guard Destini Hughes.

“We will have a really young team, and we will be going up against a tremendous Notre Dame squad,” Chancellor said. “I want our team to be exposed to three talented programs and see the level of play they bring to the table. This event will provide that opportunity.”

Notre Dame and Pittsburgh reached the Sweet 16 last March and finished the season ranked 13th and 16th, respectively in the coaches' poll. Texas A&M finished eighth in the rankings after its Elite Eight appearance.

At halftime of both games, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be introduced to the arena and the national television audience. When the Class of 2009 is officially inducted in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 13, the list of individuals who have been recognized as Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame members will increase to 109.

The mission of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is to “honor the past, celebrate the present and promote the future” of women’s basketball.