The most anticipated regular season game in LSU women’s basketball history is Thursday night as the 9th ranked Lady Tigers host top ranked South Carolina. All of the advanced tickets are sold out and ESPN College Gameday will be on hand for an extensive pregame show. Coach Kim Mulkey says all of the attention shows LSU is getting a good return on its investment.
"Your investment in hiring a staff, paying a staff good, selling season tickets, selling out this arena. I don't know much about StubHub and all of that but I understand the tickets are off the charts expensive."
Some seats are going for more than $1,000 on the secondary ticket market for this matchup of the last two national championship teams.
LSU is 18-2 this year while the Gamecocks are 17-0. The Lady Tigers are the defending national champs, while South Carolina won in 2022 and lost last season in the national semifinals to Iowa.
Mulkey views the game as a tremendous challenge but it’s not the be all.
"If we beat them, life goes on. If we lose, life goes on. There are bigger games down the road for South Carolina and for LSU."
South Carolina and LSU are two of the nation’s highest scoring teams, but the Gamecocks have performed better on defense as they rank fifth in the country in points allowed. Mulkey says no one has found the formula to beat them.
"We're the underdogs. I love underdog roles. And I know that it will be one heck of an atmosphere. It's going to be good for us, it's going to be good for South Carolina, it's going to be good for the SEC and overall it's going to be good for women's basketball."
LSU has lost 14 straight to South Carolina and this South Carolina team looks much different than last year’s squad.
Gone are Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston. But they still have Kamilla Cardoso. The six-foot-seven senior is averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds a game, plus she has 49 blocks on the season.
Te-Hina Paopao has been an excellent addition from Oregon. She’s shooting 56-percent from three-point territory.
MiLaysia Fulwiley is excellent off the bench as 12 she’s averaging 12 points a game and is coming off a career-high 21 point performance against Texas A&M.
Some keys for LSU in this game.
Coach Kim Mulkey has been harping on LSU’s defense. She says it’s getting better, but can they hold South Carolina to around 80 points.
South Carolina has a terrific point guard in Raven Johnson. How does LSU’s point guard Hailey Van Lith handle her defensive pressure. Johnson leads the team in steals with 39 steals.
Can LSU handle South Carolina’s size. Not only do the Gamecocks have Cardoso, six-foot-three Chloe Kitts is averaging 10 points and seven rebounds. And then there’s Ashlyn Watkins coming off the bench averaging nine points and seven rebounds with 47 blocks.
South Carolina is the deeper team, but LSU’s starting five when playing well offensively is nearly unstoppable. Plus, the Lady Tigers are home.
I live LSU to win 90 to 87.
Tip-off is at 7 PM.
