With LSU women’s basketball’s regular season coming to a close, the quest for a second straight national championship is in full swing.
The road to the national title starts in Greenville, South Carolina, where the Tigers will first strive to win an SEC Championship.
The team could face several familiar opponents throughout the course of the tournament. But the conference tournament is not a time to sleepwalk through, as teams whose seasons are at stake will be at their very best, hoping to catch the top seeds off guard.
In the 2022 SEC Tournament, No. 7 seed Kentucky knocked off No. 1 seeded South Carolina to win the conference championship and give the Gamecocks their second loss of the year.
Anything can happen. LSU just hopes it can be on the winning side of those types of scenarios.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect for the SEC Tournament, and who the Tigers may see in their efforts to winning a championship:
Who’s first?
The Tigers will play the winner of No. 7 seed Auburn and No. 10 seed Arkansas for their first game of the SEC Tournament.
The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. C.T., and will be televised on the SEC Network. Auburn and Arkansas tip off on Thursday at 5 p.m. C.T. on the SEC Network. 
LSU saw both teams during the regular season; it played Auburn twice and Arkansas once. In LSU’s matchup with Arkansas, the Tigers came away with a comfortable 99-68 win. But their time with Auburn hasn’t been as smooth sailing.
Auburn is one of the three SEC teams LSU lost to during conference play. The first matchup was at Auburn, which presented an obstacle in and of itself, playing in front of a loud, opposing crowd away from home. LSU fell to Auburn 67-62 after a second half, offensive attack from Auburn.
The second matchup was in Baton Rouge, and while LSU came away with a 71-66 win, it did not come easy. With Auburn’s Honesty Scott-Grayson scoring 28 points along with 25 fouls from Auburn, LSU had to fight for the win. But 25 points and 20 rebounds from Angel Reese helped LSU get out in front and stay there.
With Auburn being the higher seed, the likeliness from a third matchup between LSU and Auburn is likely, and it would be another win LSU has to fight for.
Who would be next?
With a win in their first game, the Tigers would advance to the semifinals and take on the winner of No. 3 seed Ole Miss, and the winner of a second round matchup between No. 6 seed Vanderbilt and No. 11 seed Florida, who won its first round matchup over No. 14 seed Missouri, 66-60.
LSU saw each of these three teams once throughout the regular season. Ole Miss was the second team LSU saw in conference play, and the Tigers came out with an 84-73 win thanks to 20-point performances from Reese and Mikaylah Williams. All five of LSU’s starters scored in double figures.
The Florida Gators came to Baton Rouge in early February, where the Tigers came away with a 40-point win led by 21 points from Hailey Van Lith.
Later that same week, LSU flew to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, where the Tigers won 85-62. Flau’jae Johnson led the Tigers in that game with 17 points and four rebounds.
Who’s heating up at the right time?
Ole Miss has won six games in a row, including two overtime wins over Florida and Mississippi State. Mississippi State also handed LSU a loss during the regular season.
The Rebels heating up at the right time could affect the Tigers, as there’s a good chance they’ll see each other in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
In addition, LSU hasn’t seen Ole Miss since Jan. 7. While the Rebels lost three games after that, they’re inevitably not the same team they were in January, and their six game win streak could display that.
Toughest opponent they could see
South Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, the projected No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the only undefeated team left in the AP Top 25 at 29-0.
There hasn’t been a team in the country more dominant than South Carolina, and if LSU were to make it to the SEC Championship, they’d likely see the Gamecocks there.
The Tigers and the Gamecocks squared off in Baton Rouge on Jan. 25, where the Gamecocks escaped with a 76-70 win after a fourth quarter comeback.
South Carolina and LSU are similar teams, as neither team a ton depth. However, they are confident in the options they do have.
The Gamecocks’ 6-foot-7 center, Kamilla Cardoso, has led the team all season. She averages a team-high of 14.1 points and 10 rebounds. In their matchup on Jan. 25, all five starters for both teams scored in double figures. Cardoso was contained in the first half, but found a window in the second, finishing the game with 11 points and eight rebounds.
For LSU, Aneesah Morrow led the team with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Angel Reese was right behind with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Reese fouled out of the game with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter.