LSU Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson has a two-word motto ahead of an NCAA Tournament run with LSU.
‘Choose better,’ Johnson told USA TODAY while promoting a partnership with BODYARMOR. ‘That’s literally who I am in every facet of my life.’
Fittingly, the sports drink brand has a March Madness campaign, focused on hydration and recovery, with the same name. However, for Johnson, it’s more than a campaign. It’s how she operates.
‘Choose better in every facet of my life: my mental, my preparation, my body. What I put into my body is very important to me. It’s just choosing better in everything that I do, especially as an athlete,’ Johnson said.
‘I feel like taking care of your body is the No. 1 thing you have to do. For me, it’s in every facet of life. When I’m into something or when I’m doing anything ― and that’s my athletics [and] my music ― I’m trying to choose better. I’m trying to be the best version of myself.’
Johnson, in her senior season with LSU, says she’s focused on staying grounded ahead of her fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Savannah, Georgia, native told USA TODAY she’s made a conscientious effort to make recovery the center of how she stays calm through the season. Johnson says if she doesn’t recover her mind, her body inevitably ‘won’t go as hard’ as she needs.
She’s been particularly cognizant of that as LSU makes a push for another title, its first since the 2022-2023 season. Johnson, who was on that national championship roster, understands what it takes to win at the highest level. Those lessons have come in handy when this year’s roster struggled around the halfway point of the season.
‘Who do you wanna be? What kind of team do you wanna be? What kind of player do you want to be?’ Johnson said. ‘As we just decided that and we came to a consensus, I think we just learned who we wanted to be and our identity … that being a team and seeing each other win and making that extra pass and rebounding the ball, that’s who we are. We just gotta understand that and get back to that.’
Following the losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt, LSU won 10 of its next 12 matchups, including seven straight games. The streak boasted ranked wins over Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss. LSU’s 78-70 win over the Rebels was especially gritty as the Tigers were down by as much as 13 before roaring back in the fourth quarter. LSU held Ole Miss to seven points in the fourth.
That sort of tenacity and focus is what LSU needs as it finishes the season. The Tigers will see many of the teams they just beat in the SEC Tournament, which begins March 4.
Johnson says what gets lost in the grind of March Madness is teams are playing games just about every day and traveling ‘across the world,’ depending on the region. She also says all the good vibes LSU has built up now won’t really matter.
‘You gotta flush it. If you have a 30-point game and you have a game-winner, it don’t matter the next game. If your head’s not on a swivel, you’re out,’ Johnson said. ‘That’s definitely the most important part of the NCAA Tournament. That’s why you have to be [level.] Can’t get too high. Can’t get too low ― until you get that ring.’
LSU has two regular season games remaining, against Tennessee on Thursday and Mississippi State on Sunday. The Tigers need to dial in for a deep March Madness run now.
Johnson told USA TODAY to get back to the Final Four and walk away with a title, LSU needs will need to do two things.
‘Defense and rebounding. That’s all we gotta do,’ Johnson said, smiling. ‘We play defense, and we rebound, the offense will take care of itself. We’ll get what we want, but if we defend and rebound, we’ll be in a good space. I’ll tell you that.’