The most anticipated matchup of the season is finally upon the LSU Women’s Basketball team. They get set to travel to take on the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks and a sold out crowd on Sunday.
South Carolina has been the juggernaut of women’s basketball since head coach, Dawn Staley, got settled in after her first season in 2008. Since 2011, the Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament every year (except in 2020 due to COVID-19). In that 11-year stretch, Staley led her program to two national titles, four Final Four appearances, and six SEC titles.
“She’s a winner,” Kim Mulkey said. “She’s having an unbelievable career now at South Carolina and has built a program that the entire state of South Carolina is proud of.”
The season they’re having this year is another day in the office, sitting at 23-0, the only other remaining undefeated team besides LSU, and 10-0 in SEC play.
Angel Reese has been the main presence for LSU this season and going up against her will arguably be the main presence in women’s college basketball in Aaliyah Boston. Boston, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, is projected to be the first overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft. Her stats back up the hype, leading the team in rebounds with 10 per game, and second on the team in points per game at 13.5.
A 6-foot-5 player would be the tallest on LSU’s team, but South Carolina, they have more to back her up.
Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center, is right there with Boston in the paint every game for the Gamecocks, averaging 9.8 points per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game.
“They are relentless on the offensive boards,” Mulkey said. “Those rebounds are a big concern, nobody seems to be able to stop them.”
The height continues from there. South Carolina’s next three leading scorers after Cardoso are all 6-foot-3 and above. With the height and skill South Carolina has down low, it will present a challenge that LSU has not seen.
The post-play is most definitely considerable, but the guard-play for the Gamecocks carries just as much weight. Senior guard, Zia Cooke, is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game.
The height and dominance of South Carolina’s forwards along with their perimeter players to complement them will be an unfamiliar foe for the Tigers. But the driving force of South Carolina this season has been their depth.
To put things in perspective, LSU has two players that average over 30 minutes of play per game, South Carolina has zero. LSU has eight players that average over 10 minutes per game, South Carolina has 11. The Gamecocks are able to rotate players in and out and still have the same level of production, and they’re able to rest players throughout the game.
The magnitude of this matchup is one that LSU women’s basketball hasn’t seen any time recently, and while the team is excited, Mulkey has to preach to her team to treat this like any other game.
“We won’t allow it to be too big,” Mulkey said. “We love the hype, we love the recognition, I think it’s good for women’s basketball, it’s good for both programs. You win the game it means nothing, you lose the game it means nothing. I think the only thing it really does is it gives you a leg up on winning the SEC.”
LSU is headed into the game as the underdog, a role they haven’t had to play yet. They know they aren’t the favorite, and if anything, they’ve been able to learn from teams like Georgia and Texas A&M on how to approach challenges like these: leave it all out on the floor. That’s all Mulkey can ask of her team.
“We’re relevant now, but we haven’t arrived,” Mulkey said. “We just won basketball games. We haven’t won championships. We want to build the program to, someday, we’re in the Final Four year in, and year out. Maybe we can sneak in there and win some SEC championships. That doesn’t happen overnight.”
The Tigers will take on the Gamecocks on Sunday at 1 p.m. C.T. at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN.
