Baton Rouge, La ? The big question coming into the NCAA Tournament was how the LSU Lady Tigers would recover from the abrupt resignation of immensely popular coach Pokey Chatman.

Three lopsided victories and one resilient comeback later, the discussion about LSU’s postseason has completely changed.

Before arriving Thursday in Cleveland for its Final Four matchup with Rutgers, the focus had clearly shifted from wondering whether career assistant Bob Starkey could be effective in his head coaching debut to whether this increasingly dominant Lady Tigers squad would bring a first women’s basketball national championship back to Baton Rouge.

“We’re focused and we’re playing our best basketball at this point,” said Sylvia Fowles, the 6-foot-6 center whose dominance has highlighted LSU’s recent play. “I think it’s going to get better from here on out.”

Although the Lady Tigers (30-7) came up short in the Southeastern Conference tournament finals against Vanderbilt, there were signs that LSU was peaking shortly before Chatman resigned amid allegations she had inappropriate relationships one or more former players.

First came a convincing victory over Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals, redemption for a loss to the Lady Vols in Baton Rouge a few weeks earlier. On Monday night, LSU redeemed a one-point home loss to Connecticut by dismantling the Huskies in the Fresno Regional final, 73-50.