No. 14 ranked LSU women's basketball team opens its season tonight
After exhibition game victories by margins of 53 and 75 points, the second edition of LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s women's basketball Tigers open the regular season tonight at 7 vs. Bellarmine in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Tigers, ranked 14th in preseason polls, return five players including starting guard Alexis Morris from last season’s 26-9 NCAA tournament team. But the reason for LSU’s preseason national ranking is the Tigers’ loaded recruiting class featuring impact transfer forward Angel Reese from Maryland and freshman guard Flau’jae Johnson.
Besides Reese, Mulkey’s transfer portal signees include guards Jasmine Carson (West Virginia) and Kateri Poole (Ohio State), forward LaDazhia Williams (Missouri) and Australian guard Last-Tear Poa (Northwest Florida State College), the top JUCO transfer in the country.
It took Mulkey five years to win the first of her three NCAA national titles in her 21 seasons as Baylor’s coach before taking over at LSU last year. In the new world of the transfer portal in which players can transfer without sitting out a season as dictated by past NCAA rules, LSU’s rebuild may not take long.
“The rules have changed such that you can get better quicker,” Mulkey said. “I view it that you guys just gotta have the right players at the right time in the right pieces and everybody plays their role. So, I don't think about it like it should be easier. You should do it even quicker.”
Most of Mulkey’s best teams have been built around a dominant post player, something she didn’t have in her first LSU season. But the recruitment of Reese gives Mulkey a dynamic inside scorer and rebounder.
Last season at Maryland, Reese led the Terrapins to the Sweet 16 in 2022 as their top scorer (17.8 ppg) and top rebounder (10.6 rpg). She earned multiple All-America honors and was an All-Big 10 Conference first-team honoree.
“Angel Reese is a tremendous basketball player,” Mulkey said. “She can leap out of the gym. She is very vocal. She absolutely loves the game. She'll be one of our leaders this year, not just because she's one of the more talented ones but because this will be her third year in college.
LSU has 13 non-conference games – eight at home, one away and four in tournaments – before it opens SEC play Dec. 29 at Arkansas.
Mulkey believes she should have a solid and deep rotation by the time the Tigers dive into league action.
“Let’s just see what this team’s identity is, what our strengths and weaknesses are,” Mulkey said. “I already told you talent is there. I already told you depth is there. Injuries can mess up a whole lot of things, so we knock on wood and hope that you stay healthy and just go play.”
Tonight’s game can be streamed on the SEC Network + with Lyn Rollins and Garrett Walvoord on the call. Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams will also broadcast the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.