LSU leads a talented field of eight teams into Thursday’s semifinals — a group that includes fellow superpowers Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and UCLA — eager to prove their breakthrough last spring was not a one-off.

In a lot of ways, Oklahoma still looks like the best team in the country. No team has better overall event rankings; OU’s scores at regionals were second-to-none; no team has a better pair of all-around gymnasts (Bowers and Torrez tied for No. 2 in the country).