LSU women’s basketball has been perfect to this point, sitting with a 20-0 record and 8-0 in SEC play. But the Tigers will be faced with their toughest challenge of the season Monday night in the Tennessee Volunteers. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. Monday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The timing of this matchup works heavily in LSU’s favor. Thursday night, Tennessee faced off with the fifth-ranked University of Connecticut Huskies, and the Huskies took care of business with an 84-67 win.
Tennessee holds a 16-7 overall record but is undefeated at 8-0 in SEC play. The Volunteers played as tough of an out-of-conference schedule as a team could play. Of their seven losses, they all came to teams who, at the time of the matchup, were ranked inside the top 20.
Tiger fans may look at the seven losses and think they have the guaranteed win, but that’s far from the case. Tennessee is one of the most historic women’s basketball programs in the country, so regardless of record, they will always be a threat. In addition, they’re undefeated in conference play, just like LSU.
Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston is the duo to watch for Tennessee. Jackson leads the Vols in scoring with 17.8 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds per game. Horston leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.9 rebounds per game along with 15.7 points per game. They complement each other, and LSU limiting them has to be the first order of business.
LSU and Tennessee are very similar; they rely on their production in the paint, but when needed they can hit from the perimeter. In Tennessee’s losses, it came down to them missing shots. LSU’s defense has been great all season, especially in their thrilling win over Arkansas. The Tigers would have to exceed that performance and lock down the Vols from the tip.
Similar to recent matchups, LSU has to be confident with the three-point shot. Any team the Tigers play from this point on will prioritize guarding and limiting Angel Reese. Tiger fans saw it against Alabama; a slow first-quarter start was because the Crimson Tide played extra physical against Angel Reese. If she is being contained, the shots will have to come from somewhere, and the perimeter shots will have to be where that is.
In other big games, since coach Kim Mulkey has been at LSU, the crowd has been a swinging factor in the game. With a sold-out crowd for Monday night’s game, that will be something LSU will take advantage of.
Regardless of gameplay and home-court advantage, the matchup is expected to be one for the history books in LSU women’s basketball and will be the toughest obstacle the Tigers face so far this season.
