It will be a top-10 showdown on Thursday as the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks will be on the road to take on the 18-2 LSU Tigers.
This will be one of the biggest matchups of the year as both teams had some of the highest odds of winning the national championship before the season started. The last time these two teams played, South Carolina ended up blowing out the Tigers 88-64 at home.
The Gamecocks defense caused havoc for LSU as the Tigers shot 40% from the field and 20% from three. There were only two players in double digits for the Tigers: Alexis Morris, who graduated, and Angel Reese who had an inefficient 16 points, shooting 33% from the field.
However, both teams are now different and this game will be in one of the most hostile environments in women’s basketball at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Tigers added key players such as Hailey Van Lith, Annesah Morrow and true freshman Mikaylah Williams to go along with Reese and Flau’jae Johnson as they combined for roughly 46 of the 92 points.
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Meanwhile, South Carolina is ranked No.1 in the country, led by 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso who is averaging a double-double along with almost three blocks per game. South Carolina also has all of its starters averaging double digits and shooting a combined 52% from the field and 44% from three.
If LSU wants to win this game there are a couple of things they have to do:
Everyone Needs to Contribute
The Tigers team is very top-heavy with many stars in the starting lineup and a young and inexperienced bench. The starting five need to get going early.
In the loss against Colorado, the whole starting five except Williams started slow and struggled to score. Then, in the loss against Auburn, Van Lith and Williams couldn’t get it going either.
LSU can’t afford to have its starting lineup not be able to put up points similar to last year. It’s going to be a hard matchup for Reese being guarded by someone the size of Cardoso and Williams will be getting a lot of attention with her scoring ability. This means that Morrow, Van Lith and Johnson are going to have to step up big.
Move The Ball
With players like Van Lith and Williams who are ball-dominant players, the offense can tend to get stagnant from time to time. This can lead to the offense looking sloppy and forcing up a bad shot.
With South Carolina’s great defense, which ranks No. 5 in scoring defense, it’s important to move the ball and make sure everyone gets a touch.
There have been times when the guard play needed improvement to move the ball and run the offense. Van Lith is a great player but as the point guard, she needs to find a way to take control and command the offense.
LSU has two great post players in Reese and Morrow. If LSU can move the ball and initiate the offense properly, it will keep South Carolina on its toes.
Stay out of foul trouble
There have been multiple times this season where the starting lineup had someone in foul trouble. Players who play 30 minutes per game and barely get subbed out will pick up a decent amount of fouls, but in a game like this where you will need every starter, you can’t afford to foul out.
This means not wasting fouls to prevent points, having to be early on rotations so you are not out of position and overall being disciplined on defense. It will also affect the way the offense runs.
Reese is an aggressive post player, very physical and always looking for contact. If she gets into foul trouble her game is hindered and will force her to play uncomfortable.
