As January comes to an end, LSU women’s basketball has to think ahead with February right around the corner.

A month filled with Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras festivities will be anything but lovely for the Tigers.

The SEC schedule has always been grueling, as it puts every team to the test with the SEC and NCAA tournaments right around the corner.

The Tigers have a tough road ahead of them during the teeth of conference play as they will face five currently ranked opponents on their schedule, including two in the top five.

A chance to earn some key victories, here’s who LSU will look out for.

Alabama

To start the month off, the Tigers will host the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama started its season 14-0 before falling to No. 3 South Carolina 83-57 in the first conference game of the season. The Crimson Tide has gone 4-2 since that loss, losing to rival Auburn.

However, don’t let those losses fool you, as they were also able to pick up a big win against No. 6 Kentucky, defeating the Wildcats convincingly, 64-51.

The team is centered around a trio of Jessica Timmons, Essence Cody and Karly Weathers. Timmons leads Alabama with 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 38.4% from three.

Cody is the paint presence as the 6-foot-4-inch forward puts in 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds on 59.6% shooting while also tormenting opposing offenses with 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

Then you have Weathers, who arguably might be the most impactful player on the team, leading in three different categories: rebounds (6.3), assists (3) and steals (2). She also averages 10.1 points per game, shooting 38.9% from three, making her a true two-way player.

Alabama isn’t the flashiest team and won’t put up a lot of points, as it only eclipsed over 90 points once this season, but it’s the defense and the ability to make games ugly that make it so dangerous for opposing teams.

The Crimson Tide ranks top 20 in scoring defense (14), field goal percentage defense (20) and blocks (16), making them one of the top defensive teams in the country.

Texas

The highly anticipated rematch with Texas is next for LSU, and this time the Tigers will travel to Austin.

Texas started the season 18-0 and was ranked as high as No. 2 before falling to LSU, then losing its next game against South Carolina.

The Tigers were able to get the best of the Longhorns, defeating them at home 70-65. Despite both teams struggling to shoot the ball, LSU was able to get more help from its players as five players were in double digits.

Texas is led by its star Madison Booker, who dropped 24 points against the Tigers roughly two weeks ago.

This year, Booker has once again lived up to expectations, averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.6 steals on 50.8% from the field. Sharing the same number as her idol, Kevin Durant, she proved to be an all-around scorer while being a top-10 scorer in the SEC.

Booker isn’t alone, however, with six other Longhorns averaging nine points or more per game. When Texas looks for another scorer in its offense, it will turn to Jordan Lee and Aaliyah Crump, who are second and third on the team in scoring at 14.2 and 13 points per game.

There are also the contributions of Rori Harmon and Kyla Oldacre. Harmon is the leader and veteran of this team, making everything flow. While she’s tied for fifth in scoring, she impacts the game at various levels.

She’s a playmaker and a floor general as she leads the team in assists with seven per game. On the defensive end, she’s a pest, pressuring opposing guards 94-feet and picking pockets, averaging a team high 2.9 steals a game.

As for Oldacre, she’s in a unique situation as she comes off the bench but is seen in many late-game situations. She played a pivotal role in the second-half surge against LSU as she finished the game with 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.

Her presence down low is immense and when she’s able to crash the boards both offensively and defensively, the Longhorns look unstoppable.

With so much scoring depth, Texas is a perennial powerhouse on offense, ranking top five in both field goal percentage and scoring. While LSU was able to limit them last time out, don’t think it’ll be easy.

South Carolina

There’s always a story when LSU and South Carolina play. There was the SEC Tournament game that resulted in ejections, and now former South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley transferring from the Gamecocks to the Tigers this past offseason adds drama.

LSU and South Carolina will meet on Valentine’s Day for a matchup that will be less than lovely.

The Gamecocks are still one of the best teams in the country despite suffering two losses to both Texas and Oklahoma in the regular season. They were able to get their revenge on the Longhorns during their second matchup, defeating them 68-65.

South Carolina also picked up another big win against No. 5 Vanderbilt, winning by 29 points. Going into this season, the team landed the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson from Florida State, who averaged 25.2 with the Seminoles.

With the talent surrounding her on the Gamecocks roster, she doesn’t have to do as much scoring, with 15.2 points this year, but she’s shooting more efficiently from the field (49.3%) and the 3-point line (39.2%).

However, it’s the blossoming of sophomore forward Joyce Edwards, who’s leading the team in scoring. After averaging 12.7 points per game last year, she has taken over as the No. 1 option, averaging 20 points per game on 59.3% from the field.

Tessa Johnson has been a sharpshooter at South Carolina, but this year she’s taken another leap offensively. Averaging 13.9 points this season compared to the 8.4 points from a year ago, her aggressiveness on offense has played a role.

Dawn Staley once again found another great frontcourt player to be a menace in the paint on both ends of the court in 6-foot-6-inch center Madina Okot, who averages a double-double at 13.8 points and 10.3 rebounds a game while shooting 59.7.

She’s a great player on defense, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, and with the size and length she possesses, she can take away a pivotal part in many team’s gameplan trying to score inside.

Expect this game to be physical, intense and close. The last time South Carolina came to Baton Rouge was in 2024, when the Gamecocks escaped with a six-point victory. The Tigers will want their revenge to protect home court.

While these games may be the frontliner of February, LSU can’t forget about other opponents, such as No. 17 Ole Miss, where the Tigers will travel to Oxford for a team known for its grit-and-grind play style under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

LSU will also face No. 15 Tennessee at home, where four of its starters are in double digits for points. It should be a fun test for the Tigers right before the postseason.