LSU women’s basketball is going to have to leave it all on the court Thursday night. 

South Carolina is arguably the toughest opponent the program will face this year; every player will have to give it their all. From the bottom-up, South Carolina is a stacked team.

Starters like Kamilla Cardoso show pro potential, backups like Chloe Kitts have game altering ability. Even their freshmen, like MiLaysia Fulwiley, have shown draftable talent. 

Luckily, the Tigers possess an equally stacked roster with arguably the best freshman in women’s basketball. The Bossier City product has been one of the best scorers in college basketball, between both men’s and women’s college basketball. Mikaylah Williams is LSU’s X-factor and will need to be heavily involved if the Tigers want to win.  

READ MORE: Breaking down the keys to the game for LSU women’s basketball against South Carolina

Simply put, the game needs to flow through Williams. 

Angel Reese is arguably the most valuable player to the Tigers, but she’s going to have her hands full. The Gamecocks are able to match her size. Starting center Cardoso and backup center Sakima Walker are 6 feet 7 inches and 6 feet 5 inches respectively. 

Cardoso is averaging 2.9 blocks per game which is seventh most in the country, and her 6-foot-3 teammate, Ashlyn Watkins, is only two spots behind her, averaging 2.8 blocks per game. 

The Gamecocks have great defenders, but LSU has great scorers.  

Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Hailey Van Lith are three names who have become the face of LSU’s women’s basketball, and rightfully so. All three players that would be No. 1 scorers at almost any other program in the country. However, all three players might not even be the best scorer on their team. 

Williams has already proved she’s one of the best scorers, not only on the Tigers, but in all of women’s hoops. Shooting 50% from the field and 44.4% from three, Williams is dangerous from anywhere on the court.

Now, she’s been put into the perfect position to succeed. With the Gamecocks accounting for LSU’s top three, Williams will have more looks. 

In the post, she’s able to use her 6-foot frame to match the physicality from defending bigs, then use her guard-like speed and handles to maneuver around them and score. On the perimeter, her size elevates her shot, giving her cleaner looks to the basket. 

She’ll have plenty of opportunities and if she capitalizes off them, she could not only solidify herself as the team’s No. 1 scorer, but also be the tipping point that causes the Tigers to win. 

Williams also has a chance to separate herself from the rest of her freshman class. Fulwiley, who was the 13th ranked prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, has been one of South Carolina’s best scorers. 

While she has yet to become a full-time starter, Fulwiley has still averaged 18.6 minutes per game. She’s a guard just like Williams, which means they’ll most likely be matched up at some point throughout the game. 

If Williams can neutralize Fulwiley, the Gamecocks would lose their third best scorer, or if Williams offensively dominates Fulwiley, South Carolina might bench her for someone more defensively talented to limit Williams; this, again, would strip them of their third best scorer. 

READ MORE: Battle of two giants: Previewing LSU women’s basketball’s matchup with South Carolina

Williams and Fulwiley’s defenses are both solid. Williams averages roughly 1.7 steals per game, but only has 0.2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Fulwiley averages less steals per game, at roughly 1.5, but has significantly more blocks per game, at 1.1. While Fulwiley might have the edge defensively, Williams is by far the better scorer. 

Williams scores 16.5 points per game, which is 4.8 points more than Fulwiley’s average, while shooting at almost 2% more than Fulwiley from the field.

She loves to work in the midrange, taking nearly eight shots there per game. Typically, players who work in the midrange stay there because they lack ability on the outside. However, this is not the case for Williams. 

As mentioned previously, she is six feet tall, which means when facing 5-foot-10 guards such as Fulwiley, Williams is automatically shooting higher than the defender.

Her size is a major reason why she has shot 44.4% from three, much higher than Fulwiley’s 33.9%. In general, trying to force her to the perimeter would be a defensive mistake.

Shooting more from the field is impressive. But, including that she also takes more shots than Fulwiley while still averaging higher percentages from both the field and three, Williams is clearly a much bigger offensive threat.

The Tigers are going to have to play their best ball if they want to finally beat South Carolina. Williams will be a major key to that potential success.

She’s coming off a hot game against Arkansas where she shot 64.3% from the field, 60% from three and finished with 21 points. The Tigers success will be dependent upon her carrying that momentum into the matchup.