LSU coach Van Chancellor said he plans to throw out Mardi Gras beads at Thursday night’s game against South Carolina. Chancellor has plenty to celebrate besides Mardi Gras. The No. 8 Lady Tigers have not trailed in a game since Dec. 30. It is a streak that could be kept alive Thursday night when LSU (16-3, 5-0) faces South Carolina (11-9, 0-5), the sole winless team in Southeastern Conference play. But Chancellor scoffed at the suggestion LSU may run over the struggling Gamecocks squad. “It’s another SEC game, and you better be ready to play,” he said. “They have five players basically averaging in double figures. From a defensive point of view, that really concerns you.” Freshman guard Jordan Jones leads South Carolina, averaging 13 points per game and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Junior forward Demetress Adams averages 11 points and eight rebounds per game. “The fact that they’re struggling really doesn’t come into play with us,” said senior guard Erica White. “Every year, it seems like there’s a team that is kind of struggling that goes in and gets a big win. We don’t want that to happen to us. We need to come out, play hard and smart and prepare for them just as we would anyone else.” LSU senior center Sylvia Fowles will see her height matched in South Carolina’s 6-foot-6-inch senior center Ilona Burgrova. The Czech Republic native averages 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Fowles and Chancellor easily recalled this past season’s close 49-46 win against the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C. “I’m pretty sure South Carolina is going to come in motivated and energized,” Fowles said. “But we’re playing at home, which is an advantage. Right now our team is just mentally focused. We’re going out there and getting things done.” Fowles moved one step closer Tuesday in the race for the Naismith Trophy, given in April to the nation’s top collegiate basketball player. The list was narrowed from 50 to 31, and Fowles remained on the ballot along with three other SEC competitors: Auburn’s DeWanna Bonner, Georgia’s Tasha Humphrey and Tennessee’s Candace Parker. Parker averages 21 points and eight rebounds per game. “[Fowles] deserves serious consideration for the MVP,” Chancellor said. “But Candace Parker is a great player any way you slice it up. I think it’s a two-horse race between Sylvia and Candace. That’s my personal opinion. They are the two premier players in the college game today.” When learning that fans’ text message votes count for 25 percent of the vote, Fowles had one message for the Lady Tiger faithful. “Go out and vote for Big Syl,” she said with a wide smile.